Falling Awake
by Lex55
Summary: Just when George thought his life couldn’t get any more complicated, it does. GI and GC, but mostly GI. GI fic.
1. Chapter 1

Fic: Falling Awake

Rating: Nothing bad here, unless you would count angst.

Feedback: Of course, feedback is like our crack!

Summary: Just when George thought his life couldn't get any more complicated, it does.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything, unfortunately. It would be cooler if I did though.

Spoilers: All the way until the end of the episode "The Other Side of Life" after that my version takes a different route. I started this fic over the summer so this season doesn't really count, any similarities is only by coincidence. If you haven't watch S4 yet and are staying away from spoilers don't worry nothing here will spoil you.

A/N: Many thanks goes to those who have already read a lot of this and help me sort through my writers block. It was much appreciate:)

///000///

George didn't understand a lot of things in life. He definitely didn't understand anything in his life right now. The last year had been a whirled wind of emotions for him. Ranging from death to disasters to destruction. If anything bad could happen, he'd seen it in his first year of internship.

He had seen too many disasters to count from the ferryboat disaster to Izzie's breakdown when she cut Denny's LVAD cord. But he had somehow managed to make it through those events. He had stood strong and made it through, even if he had to drag Izzie with him after Denny.

It was the deaths that left him reeling in their wakes. Both his Dad's and Meredith's had happened so fast, so unexpectedly that the events had left him in shock. Sure Meredith's was only temporary, but the combination of her death and his Dad's had left its mark. Much to his surprise though, despite such tragic events he was still standing. He was numb from the impact, but still functioning, even if it was on autopilot.

Then there was the destruction. He wasn't sure he would survive the destruction. The previous events of death and disaster had left such a toll on him he wasn't sure he had enough energy left to handle to deal with it all. It may be the last straw that finally broke the camels back. His marriage with Callie was flailing and as much as he tried, he couldn't manage to wrap his mind around it to save it. But it wasn't because he didn't want to save it, he did. He desperately wanted everything to be perfect between them. But as much as he tried to make that happen the more it wasn't it seemed.

Then it was the other destruction in his life, his friendship with Izzie, which had broadsided him in the back of his head and left him numb. When he first started dating Callie, he could feel his friendship with Izzie slipping away. It was another thing he didn't want to see happen, but it just did. Then after one drunken night filled with passion and sin, he knew he had just managed to be the dynamite that would blow both important relationships away.

Now he was trying to save face. He was desperately trying to keep both relationships intact, because he didn't think he could survive if he didn't have both in his life. But much like his marriage as much as he tried to hold onto them, the further away they seemed to get.

Izzie had told him yesterday, that their night together had been a mistake and nothing else. That she didn't feel anything for him. It was just yet another blow he didn't see coming. The words she said cut through him more than he thought they ever could. She said she didn't love him and what little of the broken heart he had left was shattered into a million more pieces. A feat he didn't think was possible.

He had also told Callie about his plan to transfer to Mercy West and she seemed happy about the fact. She seemed like she couldn't wait to get him away from Seattle Grace. The one place that stayed a constant in his life. The hospital had remained the same despite how much death, destruction and disasters it saw with in its walls. It was a place that was sometimes his only reason for getting up in the mornings.

But he couldn't tell that to his wife. He couldn't even tell it to his best friend. No matter how much he wanted to tell them how tired he was. How much he just wanted to lie down and sleep for a month, just to forget his troubles for a little while.

"Here's your damn coffee," Callie said bitterly, roughly dropping the cup of black liquid beside him on the counter of the nurse's station.

The sudden movement shook George from his thoughts as he looked down at the cup in question. He looked back up suddenly as his wife retreated towards the surgical wing.

"Oh god, I forgot again!" George said, snatching up the cup and followed quickly behind her. "I'm sorry I got caught up in patients I guess, I just completely blanked on our coffee date."

"Yeah I know," Callie bit out, keeping her quick pace.

"I'll make it up to you!" George tried, still following behind her. "We'll do lunch! I'll… I'll even pay for it and everything."

"George," Callie said, pushing open the doors that lead to the surgical wing. She briefly turned around. "I've heard it before. Just save it."

With that she roughly turned around and went through the doors, letting them swing back suddenly on George. He tried jumping back to avoid the swaying doors, but couldn't avoid their impact. With a surprised yelp he felt hot coffee spill down his white lab coat.

"Damn it!" George bit out, frustrated. "Callie…" He looked back at the doors but his wife was long gone.

George grumbled as he went back to the nurses' station and let the cup fall heavily on the desk as he looked around for something to wipe his coat of with. When he found a roll of paper towels he angrily tore some off and started trying to wipe at the large brown stain on his coat.

"Uh oh, did another patient vomit on you again?"

George looked up as Olivia walked up to the station with a chart in hand.

"No, its just coffee this time," George grunted out, looking back down to wipe at his coat some more. Unfortunately, for him the more he wiped the worse the stain got.

"I guess you'll need to go get your extra lab coat then?" She asked.

"This is my extra lab coat, my other one is still at the wash from when the kid did vomit on me yesterday."

"Oh," Olivia said, cringing. "Well at least you wont smell bad with this stain."

George just grumbled as he wiped at his coat some more before begrudgingly giving up and throwing the useless towels in the wastebasket.

"Well I think I have a case that may cheer you up," Olivia tried, offering the chart in her hands to him. "But you gotta be quick, I saw Cristina here eyeing this chart early this morning."

George looked up at her with interest.

///000///

"Good morning, Mr. Level," George said, walking into the patients room while looking at the chart in his hands. "How are you feeling today?"

"Oh, well considering I'm going to have my skull cracked open in a few hours I would say, okay. You?"

George looked up at the man lying in the hospital bed and gave him a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry Mr. Level, I can assure you that Dr. Shepherd is the best neurology surgeon you can have. You'll do just fine."

"I wish you could convince my wife of that. She's convinced something bad is going to happen today. She's coming in a little later today, but I guarantee she didn't get a bit of sleep last night. She's a worrier."

"Ah, yes," George said, nodding. "Well when she gets here, we'll sit down with the both of you and explain how everything is going to go. We'll assure her that you are in good hands here. Now have you had any pains or headaches today?"

"No, they keep me pretty medicated here," the man started but stopped as he stared at George's coat. "What is that? That's not…"

"Hmm?" George said, looking up from his chart and noticed where the older man was staring. "Oh no no… It's just coffee. There was an incident with my coffee cup earlier. Gravity is against me as usual."

"Oh you're a coffee man. Good," he said, holding up his own cup of coffee. "I can respect a man who likes coffee. It's the only thing that gets me through the day sometimes."

"I know what you mean," George said, but then thought of something. "Wait, sir you weren't suppose to have any liquids or food after midnight last night."

"Well they didn't say anything about coffee," the man said, surprised.

"That would be a part of the liquid clause," George said, taking the cup from the man and placed it on the rolling eating table in front of his bed.

"Well what does that mean?" The man asked, worried. "I can still have the surgery today, right?"

Before he could answer Cristina suddenly appeared in the doorway, out of breath.

"George!" She huffed out, coming more into the room. "What are you doing? This is my patient."

"Excuse us, sir," George said, pulling Cristina by the arm towards the door. "She's a little confused. I'll be right back."

Once they were outside the door, Cristina grabbed the chart from him.

"This is my guy," she said, annoyed. "I called dibs on him this morning. I came in early just for this chart!"

"You can't come in early and horde the charts," George snapped back, grabbing the chart back quickly. "Besides Olivia gave me this case."

"Oooh," Cristina mocked, taking another swipe for the chart but George quickly evaded her attempted. "Olivia, the syph nurse, gave it to you, how cute. Nurses' pet."

"Look this guy just drank a big gulp size of coffee, he probably won't be even having his surgery until much later today, if at all. He's pretty boring, really. So I'm probably doing you a favor by taking him, you would just be baby sitting him all day."

"Umm," the patient called out meekly. "I can still kinda hear you."

"I'll be right there, Mr. Level, just one more moment," George said, smiling at the man from the doorway.

"No I will, Mr. Level," Cristina said back before turning back to George. "I don't care if he drank a big gulp version of Drano. He's my guy. I've never been in a wake surgery with his kind of tumor."

"Well neither have I!" George huffed out.

Cristina crossed her arms and arched her eyebrow. She knew neither one would be giving in easily. So there was only one other thing to do.

"Rock, paper, scissors," She said.

"Right."

George put the chart under his arm as he held out his hands while Cristina held out hers.

"1…"

"2…"

"3..." George said, making a paper symbol in the palm of his hand, but instead of making her own symbol Cristina just suddenly grabbed the chart from under his arm and popped back into the patients room. "Ugh! Not fair!"

"Life's not fair, George," She said, looking down at the chart in her hands as she went to stand in front of Mr. Levels bed.

"That's why I need it," George tried, coming up behind her, trying to grab the chart out of her hands, but she avoided his grasps by turning in the opposite direction. "With my life I need this right now."

Cristina looked over at him disbelievingly. "You? I'm about to get married. If anyone needs it, it's me."

"Well somebody is going to take me, right?" Mr. Level asked. "I mean, I'm still going have surgery today, right?"

"I'm taking you Mr. Level," Cristina said, avoiding another failed grasp from George. "And we'll see about the surgery, I'm sure we can work something out."

"Mr. Level, don't listen to her, she's an evil robot doctor, you're still my patient," George tried reaching around Cristina to grab the chart, but Cristina shoved his arm away which hit the cup of coffee on the table and spilled onto George's scrub pants.

"Great!" George said, looking down at the new coffee stain on his pants. "Just great!! Look what you did!"

"Don't worry, Bambi," Cristina snorted, stepping around him and over the spilled coffee on the floor. "It'll match the vomit on your coat."

"It's not vomit!" George shouted a little too loudly. "It's a different coffee stain from earlier."

"Whatever," Cristina said, grabbing her stethoscope from around her neck and put them to her ears. "Now Mr. Level, I'll go ahead and do a pre-op exam, to make sure everything still going okay."

"No you wont, I will!" George said, charging the other doctor, trying to grab at the chart once more. Cristina fought off his advances by leaning in towards Mr. Level.

"George, don't you think this is a little unprofessional?" Cristina asked, trying to shove him off.

"What, you stealing patients in the morning? Yeah, real unprofessional!"

"Are you sure you two are the only doctors available?" Mr. Level asked nervously as he leaned back as the doctors fumbled around each other in front of him.

"YES!" they both shouted at him.

" 'Kay," Mr. Level replied, meekly. "Just checking."

Cristina gave one finale shove and George lost his balance and stumbled backwards, but when he did his foot hit the puddle of coffee on the floor and both his feet flew out from under him. He went down hard, hitting the table behind him on his way down.

"There," Cristina said, smiling at Mr. Level with out looking back as she put her stethoscope back on. "Now let's begin, shall we?"

"Uh, yeah I guess so," He said, looking over Cristina's shoulder to George on the floor in front of his bed.

"George, you're not going to get this patient. Why don't you go ask Olivia for another case, I hear Alex has a good plastics case, go steal his. He'd love that," Cristina said, listening to Mr. Level chest.

"Are you sure he's okay?" The older man asked leaning up more to look at George. "Something tells me that's not coffee."

Cristina's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she looked up at the man.

"George?" She asked, slowly looking back. When just saw his feet lying listlessly on the floor at the end of the bed, she leaned over the edge and saw George lying on the floor completely knocked out. She could see a dark red substance gathering around the left side of his head.

"George." She heard herself whisper as she came around the bed and kneeled down. Her hand automatically reached out for his head as she felt behind it. When she pulled back she saw the same dark red substance smeared all over her hand. "Oh god."

"Is he okay?" Mr. Level asked, from his spot on the bed. "That's a lot of blood, right?"

"Uh…" Cristina said, feeling the color drain from her face. "I need some help here!!!"


	2. Chapter 2

Fic: Falling Awake

Rating: Nothing bad here, unless you would count angst.

Feedback: Of course, feedback is like our crack!

Summary: Just when George thought his life couldn't get any more complicated, it does. GI fic.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything, unfortunately. It would be cooler if I did though.

Spoilers: All the way until the end of the episode "The Other Side of Life" after that my version takes a different route. I started this fic over the summer so this season doesn't really count, any similarities is only by coincidence. If you haven't watch S4 yet and are staying away from spoilers don't worry nothing here will spoil you.

A/N: Many thanks goes to those who have already read a lot of this and help me sort through my writers block. It was much appreciate:)

///000///

"So this is this a bad surgery to have?" The elderly lady asked, lying in the hospital bed.

"I won't lie to you Mrs. Harris, quadruple bypass surgery is a serious surgery. The heart is very tricky organ to handle, but Dr. Burke is the finest doctor you could have handling your heart," Izzie explained, sitting by the bed as the older lady listened while taking deep breaths from the oxygen cord around her nose.

"Well that's good. My hearts probably a little fragile after the life I've lived." She said, laughing softly. "There are some things in life that will leave its mark on that tricky organ. A mark so deep that it does more damage than any bad cholesterol could do. But I guess you're still a little too young to understand those kind of marks, huh?"

Izzie smiled sadly at her.

"I can only wish I was," She said, simply.

The older lady looked into her eyes and saw the very marks she was talking about. She just nodded as Izzie went back to filling out her chart.

"So I know Dr. Burke has explained what he was going to do, but God bless that man, I could hardly understand all that doctor talk he was using. Do you guys have to use the biggest words you can think of? Is that one of the qualifications to be a doctor? If you wouldn't mind, could you explain again what will happen in little old lady terms?"

Izzie laughed softly as she nodded. "Sure."

She placed the chart in her lap before beginning.

"First, you will be taken to the operation room on a gurney. And they will gently place you on the operating table."

_Bailey pushed the gurney through the double doors as she rushed down the hallway. _

"_What the hell happened?" She asked, frantically as they made the turn towards O.R. #1._

"_There was coffee on the floor…" Cristina mumbled, following the doctor's mad push towards the operating room. "… he must have hit his head on the way down…" _

_They pushed through the doors into the cold operating room and wheeled the bed up to the operating table. _

"_Okay, people on the count of 3…" Bailey announced, grabbing the backboard as several people, including Cristina, grabbed on to help lift him. "…1….2….3…"_

_They all lifted and placed the board onto the table. Bailey quickly started taking off the straps that held him securely in place. _

_Cristina stepped back as she watched her mentor carefully look over George who was lying so still on the table. _

"Then the other doctors like myself and Dr. Burke, will wash up to make sure we are clean enough to operate," Izzie explained, carefully.

"Well that's good, cleanliness is next to Godliness I say," Mrs. Harris said, smiling.

_Cristina scrubbed her hands as hard as she could. She held them under the hot water and let the cleansing liquid wash the soap foam away. She held her hands up to look at them, but every time she looked at them all she could see was the sight of George's blood smeared all over them. She grabbed the soap once more. _

"_Looks like direct head trauma," The Chief said, from his spot at the scrub sink. "Do you think he's hemorrhaging into the brain?"_

"_I won't know until I get in there," Derek said, scrubbing his own hands as he looked into the surgical room and watched Bailey stand by the table. "I'm more worried about him swelling out or bone fragments being lodged into his brain."_

_Cristina looked over at the two doctors beside her. Both seemed to be mesmerized by Bailey's protective watch over her fellow intern. The possible problems they were describing were all horrible outcomes in her mind. Any of the problems they described could be very crucial or even fatal for George. Cristina swallowed hard as she went back to her scrubbing without looking at the patient in question._

"_Well, we'll need to act quickly," the chief said, looking over at Derek. "Time is the most crucial thing, right now." _

"_I know, I am the award winning neurologist here," Derek said, giving him a small smile as he looked over at the older man. "Don't worry Chief, I don't plan on loosing your intern today. He's one of Meredith's friends and Bailey's intern. Two forces I don't want to have to answer to if something goes wrong." _

"_Right," the Chief said, nodding as he scrubbed up his arms. _

"Then after we all get cleaned up we'll begin our procedure." Izzie explained to the older lady.

"But I wont feel a thing right? Because, as Dr. Burke put it, I'll be put under. I'm not too sure about this putting me under stuff, doesn't sound to pleasant," The older lady said, concerned.

"Oh don't worry Mrs. Harris," Izzie said, assuring the lady in front of her. "You will be blissfully unaware of the events happening around you. It will be the best sleep you've ever had and you'll never feel a thing."

"Good, now what are the chances of something going wrong? I mean you said it yourself, the heart is a tricky thing."

"Right," Izzie said, sighing. "Well with any surgery you risk the chance of something going wrong."

"_Dr. Shepherd his pressure is dropping," a nurse said, from her spot by George on the table. Still rooted at her spot in the scrub room, Cristina looked up at the nurse and noticed that she didn't even know her name. She briefly thought it was kinda funny because she was sure George would know her name. _

"_We don't have any more time to guess what could be wrong let's…"_

_Before the Chief could finish his sentence Bailey interrupted him with a yell from her spot beside George. _

"_He's seizing!!"_

_Both men ripped paper towels out of their holders and quickly patted down. They pulled their surgical masks over their faces and promptly entered the operation room, leaving Cristina behind in the scrub room standing stalk still._

"But you guys are good, right?" Mrs. Harris asked, lying back in her bed. "You guys know what your doing and can handle anything bad that pops up, right?"

"You're in good hands here. We will do everything we can to make sure nothing bad pops up."

"And if something does?"

"Well we'll face the problem head on then. We'll do the best we can, I can assure you of that, Mrs. Harris." Izzie said, confidently.

The older lady nodded her understanding. "I guess that's the only thing I can ask for, then. Work hard and hope for the best."

"Right," Izzie said, smiling. She was about to try to give the patient more reassuring words but Meredith suddenly opened the door.

"Izzie…" She said, breathlessly. "I need to see you."

Izzie looked up at her fellow intern and furrowed her brow. "Mer, I'm with a patient right now."

Izzie looked back at Mrs. Harris and smiled. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Harris, please excuse my friend here…

"Iz," Meredith interrupted, softly.

Izzie looked back at Meredith and noticed the other woman's worried expression. She looked like she had seen a ghost and than ran all the way there to tell her about it.

But the look sent a chill up Izzie's spine because she had seen the worried look before. It was the same expression she saw after she found Denny dead. When she was just lying helplessly with her lifeless fiancé, Meredith gave her this look that was somewhere between scared and sadness. Now she saw the same look echoed on her face.

Izzie's smile slowly dropped.

_Cristina stood numbly in the scrub room entrance as she watched the flurry of motion around George._

"_He's flat lined!" Bailey announced from her spot by the monitor. _

_Derek stood over George and started giving hard compressions to his chest. _

"_Quick!" The Chief ordered. "Someone get me the paddles!!" _

"_We're loosing him!" The nameless nurse yelled. _

"Meredith...?" Izzie asked, worried.

"Izzie… it's George."

///000///


	3. Chapter 3

Fic: Falling Awake

Rating: Nothing bad here, unless you would count angst.

Feedback: Of course, feedback is like our crack!

Summary: Just when George thought his life couldn't get any more complicated, it does.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything, unfortunately. It would be cooler if I did though.

Spoilers: All the way until the end of the episode "The Other Side of Life" after that my version takes a different route. I started this fic over the summer so this season doesn't really count, any similarities is only by coincidence. If you haven't watch S4 yet and are staying away from spoilers don't worry nothing here will spoil you.

A/N: Many thanks goes to those who have already read a lot of this and help me sort through my writers block. It was much appreciate:)

**Just a little warning, the medical situations in this may be completely off, I don't know anything, really, when it comes to hospitals or medical knowledge, so prepare yourself for having to suspend your imagination and belief.**

///000///

"I want to know what the hell is going on!" Callie yelled, trying to push by Addison.

"As a surgeon I know you want to get in there and try to provide some kind of help," Addison said, grabbing Callie by the shoulders to keep her from going through the double doors that led to the operating rooms. "But you can't. You can't provide any help right now, you're too close to him."

"He's my husband," Callie said, determinedly while trying to shove off the other woman's attempt of holding her back. "As his wife, I want to know what's going on. I want to be in there."

"I know you do," Addison tried, giving her a sad smile. "As the ex-wife of the man who's working on your husband, he needs space to do the surgery. He can't have the wife looking on, watching his every move and decision. You know this. You can't be the surgeon and the wife today. As of now, you're just the wife."

Finally, Callie gave in and let her arms drop down in defeat.

"Dude, what happened to O'Malley?" Alex asked, coming up beside Meredith, who was standing behind Callie and Addison with a few other nurses and doctors standing around. "I heard he's in the O.R. having surgery."

"There was some kind of accident this morning. George fell or something and banged his head pretty hard on the way down. He wasn't responding and apparently there was some sort of hemorrhaging, Derek is in surgery with him now."

"Someone has to let me know what's going on in there," Callie said, determined again.

"Has anyone contacted his family?" Meredith asked, after the hurt look she got from Callie she continued. "I mean his Mom and brothers, they should be here."

Izzie stood back a few feet and just watched the group in front of her. They were all full of questions and commotion, but not her. She was rooted in her spot and couldn't find the courage to go closer. She wasn't the wife. She couldn't even be the surgeon if they needed her to be right now. She wasn't even sure were she would fit in his life as just a friend. So she just waited, in the background, just beyond the loving wife and caring friends.

Cristina came through the double doors looking dazed and lost. The sight of her pale face and bloody scrubs made everyone go silent. Izzie felt her breath catch in her throat.

"Cristina," Meredith whispered. "What's going on?"

"I dunno," She said, dazed. "I walked out."

"You walked?" Alex asked, shocked. "You, Cristina Yang, the rabid surgery addict, walked on a case? ... Woah." he finished, finally getting the scope of how serious it was.

"How was he doing?" Callie asked, desperately.

Cristina shook her head. "He was seizing and his stats were falling… I just had to get out of there."

She pushed through the small group gathered at the double doors and came to sit in the waiting room chairs, right in front of Izzie. They all watched in shock as the normally driven surgeon just sat numbly in the chairs.

"I should check on my husband," Callie said, turning back to Addison.

"If Yang's not going to be on the case, I could," Alex tried. "I could go back there and check on him."

"No one is going back there," Addison announced loudly.

"Some one should really contact his family," Meredith said, again.

Izzie was still frozen in her spot, watching Cristina sitting in front of her, looking so lost as the commotion from the other's started back up just beyond her.

Izzie suddenly felt like she couldn't breathe. Everything was happening too fast. And it was all too familiar to her. She couldn't go through this again. So she turned and walked away. She hit the nearest door to the stairway and ran down the stairs, away from loving wife, scared friends, and the hurt best friend lying on the operating table fighting for his life.

///000///

It was really bright outside. So bright that Izzie had to squint her eyes to see anything. She was use to Seattle being so dreary and rainy all the time, to see such a beautiful spring day outside was surprising. But even with the bright sunshine warming her cold skin and the birds singing all around her, she was oblivious to it all. Her world still felt the dreary and rainy conditions she was so use too.

As she sat on the bench just outside of the hospital she thought about what the last thing she said to George. She had told him she didn't have feelings for him and that it was all just a mistake, nothing more. It was her attempted at being selfless, except at the time she had never felt more selfish because all she wanted to do was tell him how much he did mean to her and how her feelings for him were something so much more than just friendship. But he was transferring to Mercy West and she couldn't have that. She couldn't let him throw his career away just for her. But the most selfish part of it all was that when it came down to it, she just didn't want to see him leave. She wasn't sure she could survive life at Seattle Grace with out him by her side.

So she broke his heart. She cut him free, just so she could keep him closer. It was the most selfish, selfless thing she had ever done.

Now it was useless though. He might be gone for good anyways.

Izzie closed her eyes tight as she tried to push that thought away.

"Dr. Stephens?"

Izzie jumped at the new voice as she looked up and saw Dr. Burke standing there looking down at her. Looking up at him she held her breath, afraid he had come to tell her bad news about her friend.

"I don't know anything new on George," He said, quickly trying to calm her nerves. "I just wanted to come out here and let you know we're going to be taking Mrs. Harris down to surgery soon."

Izzie shook her head as she looked up at him. "I can't…I just...I can't right now."

"Oh, I know," he said, sitting down beside her. "You don't have to do the surgery… you have more important things to worry about."

"Yeah," Izzie agreed, sadly as she looked down at her lap.

"I just came from upstairs, Cristina looked pretty… frazzled," Burke said, almost as if he was thinking out loud.

Izzie nodded her head in agreement as she looked over at him again. "Yeah, it must have been pretty bad to have her freaking."

"I haven't seen her act like this since…"

"Since I almost got your arm blown off?" Izzie finished for him.

"Well I wasn't going to put it that way, but yes," he said, smiling at her.

Izzie sighed as she looked back out in front of her.

"Why aren't you with the rest of them? I thought you would be leading the charge for answers," he asked, carefully.

Izzie shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm not the wife. But I'm not just the friend either. I guess I just don't fit in up there, anymore," She said, despondently.

"So you're hiding out here?"

"Yup, pretty much."

"Not quite the wife but not just a friend either… either way he's still George. I'm sure he still needs you to be there in some way, even if you don't quite fit in anymore. I should know, I needed Cristina the same way not to long ago," he said, rubbing his arm as he remembered the painful ordeal he went through with his arm.

Izzie clenched her jaw and closed her eyes to keep her emotions in check.

"I know, I'm going to go back in soon, I just want to stay out here for a little while longer."

"Alright," he said, standing up and turned to leave but turned back. "Be sure to keep me informed of what's going on up there while I'm in surgery, that I am making an order."

"Sure." Izzie said, not looking at him as he walked back towards the hospital.

She knew he was right. She did need to be up there, if for nothing else for George. No matter how she felt, she was still his friend and he needed his friends now more than ever. But just like before, she couldn't find it in herself to move. It was like she was frozen to her spot on the bench. Every time she closed her eyes all she saw was Denny's lifeless form lying alone in his hospital bed.

So she just sat there. Staring out into space. She didn't know how much time had crept by while she was out there. Had it been minutes, hours, a lifetime? It must have been a while because the bright, warm sun was starting to go down now and it was starting to get chilly again. And yet she stayed. Her fears keeping her rooted in the same place as usual.

"Izzie?" a familiar voice called out.

Izzie's heart skipped a beat as she looked up in surprise.

"Mrs. O'Malley," She said, breathlessly.

"Oh honey, please call me Louise, I'm actually here about George," She said, coming up to stand beside her on the bench. "Someone called and left a message on my answering machine saying that there had been some sort of accident and that I should come down…. Is he okay?"

Izzie didn't know what to say. She stared up at George's Mom with wide eyes.

"I… don't know…I…George… he fell down and he hit his head."

"He fell down?" Mrs. O'Malley said, smiling a little. "He has always been a little clumsy. God bless the boy, he can perform extraordinary surgeries and yet still trip over his own feet just trying to get there."

Her smile was infectious because before Izzie knew it a small smile formed on her own face as she thought about how clumsy George really was. If George knew she was sitting there smiling at the fact that he was so adorably clumsy, he'd probably frown and whine a little, another fact that made her smile.

"Falling down, well that couldn't be that bad," Mrs. O'Malley said, looking up at the hospital.

"Well he hit his head pretty hard," Izzie said, looking up at the other woman. "He's in surgery now."

"Surgery?" She said, looking down at Izzie. "Well then… I guess we better get in there then?"

Izzie stared up at the older woman and hesitated for a brief moment. Mrs. O'Malley must have noticed it because she continued on.

"Izzie, I may not know much about my son's life now. It wasn't but just a few weeks ago that I found out that he had married this Callie girl apparently," she said, sounding a bit annoyed. "But I still know my son. Just like how I always knew from the very first step he took that he would be a little clumsy, I also knew he would grow up to be a loving man. He is an O'Malley after all. He cares about his family and friends deeply and when they need him, he is there, no questions asked. Just like his Father. And I also know he probably needs us both in there right now, no matter how much he may not say it."

Izzie nodded as she felt tears spring to her eyes.

"So," Mrs. O'Malley said, holding her hand out to Izzie. "Will you show me to my son?"

Izzie looked at her extended hand. She thought about how much George was like his parents. He definitely inherited their big hearts. Always ready to be there for someone else even when they needed a shoulder to lean on themselves. After Deny died, it was George who held out his hand for her to take and hold on to. He was the one who pulled her back from the darkness she had fallen into. And now his mother was offering the same thing, even if she didn't know it.

Izzie took her extended hand and allowed Mrs. O'Malley to pull her up.

As they walked towards the hospital together, Izzie looked over at his Mom. She didn't know how she could be so calm right now. It wasn't that long ago that the other woman had lost her husband and now her son was in serious shape. They hadn't even made into the hospital and Izzie could already feel her heart rate pick up.

"Don't worry," Mrs. O'Malley said, walking towards the front doors to the hospital. "As I'm sure you know, just as he is clumsy, Georgie also has one of the hardest heads I know. And I mean that more than just the literal sense."

Izzie felt another smile pulling at her lips.

"Yeah, he is pretty hardheaded," she said, opening the door for the other woman.

"Exactly," she said, walking in. "He's to stubborn to be anything else."

////000////

When the elevators doors opened up to the surgical floor waiting room, Izzie and George's Mom were greeted by the sight of the other interns sitting on the plastic chairs in the waiting area with Callie pacing the floor in front of them.

When Callie saw them both step out of the elevator she stopped in her tracks. Her eyebrows furrowed as she looked in between Izzie and George's Mother.

"Mrs. O'Malley," she said, shaking the look off as she came up to crush George's mom with a hug.

"Uh.. Callie…right?" She said, as she padded Callie's back awkwardly.

"Yes, yes Callie… O'Malley," She said, pulling back smiling.

"Right," the older lady said, shortly. "How's my son?"

"Well he had an accident this morning…" Callie started but Mrs. O'Malley cut her off.

"I know, Izzie has already informed me of all of that. How is he doing now?"

Callie looked at Izzie briefly before turning back and answering. "We should be finding out soon. The surgery should be finishing up anytime now. It seems like we've been…"

"Good. I guess we'll just have to wait and see then," Mrs. O'Malley said, moving past Callie and sat down by the other interns who were watching their interaction with interest.

Callie watched as her mother-in-law brush her off as she went to sit down by George's friends. Her shoulders slumped in defeat for a second before whipping around towards Izzie.

"Where have you been?" She hissed to the blond doctor.

Izzie swallowed hard as she thought about what she should say to the other woman, but she couldn't come up with any good reason. But before she got a chance to answer, George's mother called her name.

"Izzie?" She said, motioning for her to come sit by her. "Will you come explain what exactly they are doing to Georgie again?"

"Uh…" Izzie said, looking over at Callie in surprise. "Yeah, sure."

Callie clenched her jaw as Izzie pushed by her to go sit by George's mother.

"Jeez, and I thought Momma Burke was bad with acceptance," Meredith whispered to Cristina.

"Seriously," Cristina mumbled back.

Suddenly the double doors to the surgical wing opened up with Derek coming through them. Bailey and the Chief were both following a few feet behind him.

Everyone stood up except for Izzie.

"He's out of surgery," Derek said, coming up to the small group. He briefly looked at Meredith and made eye contact with her, but then just as quickly turned away and looked back at Callie.

"How is he?" Callie asked, concerned.

"He's in recovery." Bailey answered, her voice sounding tired.

"But he's okay, right?" Mrs. O'Malley asked.

"When George fell he sustained direct head trauma, which caused traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhaging in his brain," Derek started.

The color in Callie's face drained as she took a few steps back before the back of her knees met the edge of the seat, where she sat down heavily beside Izzie.

"What does that mean? I'm sorry it's just that… Georgie is the one who always has to explain all this doctor stuff to me," Mrs. O'Malley said, smiling sweetly at the doctors in front of her.

Derek looked over at the Chief for back up.

"When George fell, Mrs. O'Malley," The older man answered, taking his cue from Derek. "He hit his head pretty hard on the way down, which caused George to bleed into a small portion of membrane that covers his brain."

"But the survival rate isn't that bad," Meredith said, trying to be hopeful. "I mean there is a survival rate, so that's good, right?"

"George was seizing," Cristina whispered.

Bailey nodded her head as she closed her eyes to fight for control over her emotions.

"Because of the bleeding, George's body went into distress," Bailey answered, her voice cracking.

"Yes, which caused his brain to swell," Derek finished.

"Dude…" Alex said, shaking his head.

Meredith, Cristina and Alex all stood there in shock as the other doctors explained the outcome. For once they were all on the other side of the diagnosis.

Callie sat stock still beside Izzie. She was just staring off into space.

"The next 24 hours are very crucial," Derek started again. "The next few hours are the most important factors after sustaining such head trauma."

"So… what does this mean for my Georgie?" Mrs. O'Malley asked, stilling not quite understanding all of the medical jargon being used around her.

"It means… he's in a coma," Izzie answered, sadly.


	4. Chapter 4

Fic: Falling Awake

Rating: Nothing bad here, unless you would count angst.

Feedback: Of course, feedback is like our crack!

Summary: Just when George thought his life couldn't get any more complicated, it does.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything, unfortunately. It would be cooler if I did though.

Spoilers: All the way until the end of the episode "The Other Side of Life" after that my version takes a different route. I started this fic over the summer so this season doesn't really count, any similarities is only by coincidence. If you haven't watch S4 yet and are staying away from spoilers don't worry nothing here will spoil you.

A/N: Many thanks goes to those who have already read a lot of this and help me sort through my writers block. It was much appreciate:)

**Just a little warning, the medical situations in this may be completely off, I don't know anything, really, when it comes to hospitals or medical knowledge, so prepare yourself for having to suspend your imagination and belief. **

///000///

Izzie stood outside the window as the doctors inside checked some of the wires that we protruding from her friend. He had several little wires attached all around his bandaged head. Several tubes running from his body kept his fluid regulated while the machines monitoring his vitals provided a slow steady beeping sound in the room. Since Izzie was a doctor she knew what all the medical equipment was and what it meant for him. All the wires and tubes and bandages were doing something he couldn't, something he needed to keep him living. All of it brought back memories Izzie wasn't ready to face yet.

She looked over to the corner where George's mother and brothers stood as they watched the other doctor's exam him. Callie was keeping a close eye on George from her spot by his bedside.

It had been 24 hours and there had been no change. He had not gone into cardiac arrest anymore, but he had not improved either. He just lay there. To a stranger he just looked like a person sleeping with a bunch of funky wires hooked up to him, but Izzie had seen George sleep before, this was different.

He was so still and quiet. Something she knew George wasn't good at. He was nervous by nature and she had always known him to be someone who couldn't stand still for very long, even in his sleep, so to see him still was strange to her.

"I can't believe they gave O'Malley's case to other interns," Alex said, as he, Meredith, and Cristina came up to stand beside Izzie.

"Seriously," Meredith agreed. "We know George. He's one of us. Those people in there with him don't know him like we do. I don't even know those people and I don't want to know those people."

"Yeah," Alex said, nodding his head. Using his chart to point out one particular doctor in the room he added, "George is going to be pissed when he finds out that, Guy-who-doesn't-shower, is presenting his case."

"And annoying-laugh-girl, she doesn't know George," Meredith huffed out.

"That's the point," Izzie said, flatly. She kept her focus on the sight of George in front of her. "They don't know him. That's why they are on his case. They're not us."

Meredith looked over at her friend standing with her arms crossed as she looked into their friend's room. She could see the tiredness surrounding her as her shoulders slumped from stress and the bags around her eyes gave away the fact that she hadn't seen much sleep the night before.

"Iz, did you ever come home last night?" Meredith asked, lightly.

Izzie shook her head. "Couldn't sleep, so what was the point."

Before Meredith could protest Cristina spoke up.

"She's right," After she got a look from Meredith and Alex she continued. "I mean about us not being on the case. We shouldn't be on the case because he's one of us. That's got to be against some kind of rules."

"Since when do you care about rules?" Meredith asked, disbelievingly.

"Hey," Cristina protested, holding her hand up. "I've always been about rules… I just haven't always listened to them. But they're there for a reason and I respect that."

"Whatever," Alex snorted. "You're just still freaked out from yesterday. I still can't believe you freaked on a case."

"I did not freak!" Cristina griped. "I just…I… I don't think it's appropriate for us to be on his case."

"She's right," Bailey's loud voice interrupted. They all turned to the woman who was watching them from afar. She came up to them and put her hands on her hips. "You're not going to get on this case, so don't even try. You all are too close to the patient. You're not needed for this case, but you will be for other cases. So go get ready for rounds, we'll be starting in a few minutes."

When she saw Meredith and Alex open their mouths to protest she shook her head.

"No no," Bailey said, firmly. "There will be no protesting today. There will be no undermining my authority or going behind my back with some cock-eyed scheme. Now go, before I change my mind on you suck-ups working at all and ban you from the hospital for the day all together."

Meredith and Alex sighed heavily as they turned to leave with Cristina following close behind them. Izzie stayed behind and turned towards her mentor.

"Dr. Bailey…" she started but the other woman held her hand up.

"You're not getting on this case, Stephens."

"I'm not asking too," She quickly said. "I would just like to be relieved of my duties today so I can stick around here. For George."

"No."

"What?" Izzie asked, confused. "I don't understand, I just want to…"

"I said, no," Bailey interrupted her. "Look I was going to tell you once we started rounds, but I might as well do it now. I'm assigning you to the pit today. You are to cover the ER today and handle any emergency that comes in there. You are not allowed to stand around here all day."

Izzie shook her head as she looked at the shorter doctor with a baffled look.

"Dr. Bailey…" she said, agitated. "... this isn't fair… I'm not going to cut his LVAD cord… he doesn't even have one!"

"I know that. And I don't think you would do anything that drastic again. I'm assigning you all cases today because its not going to do him any good to have you guys standing around getting in the way. You're needed at the ER today. So it's either help out in the pit or go home. I will keep you informed of his condition and page you if there are any changes. So its either that or have security escort you out and be banned for the day, which is it?"

Izzie studied the other doctor for a moment before finally sighing heavily.

"I guess that doesn't leave me with much of a choice then," she said, shaking her head. "I'll be in the pit."

Bailey watched as the blond intern looked at George once more before turning to go towards the elevators.

"Good girl," Bailey said, quietly as she watched Izzie step onto the elevator.

///000///

Izzie walked down the hallway with her food tray in hand. It had been a long morning. There weren't that many major emergencies in the pit, or at least nothing that could keep her mind off of George. She had been curious about her friend the whole morning and it was about to kill her to not know what was going on.

She was glad it was finally lunchtime and she could finally get an update. She thought about this as she rounded the corner and found her friends sitting at the nurses' station in front of George's room. Apparently they had the same idea as she had.

"What's going on? Is there any change?" Izzie asked as she sat down at the desk with them and looked into George's room where he lay motionless in his bed.

"Nope, no change," Meredith said, staring down at the chart in front of her as she ate her yogurt. "His intracranial pressure is still too high and he doesn't seem to be responding to any medicines, like Mannitol, to try and lower it."

Izzie sighed as she watched the man lying in the hospital bed in front of her. She noticed that Callie had not left his side and that, besides George, she was now alone in the room.

"Where are Mrs. O'Malley and his brothers?" Izzie asked, looking around.

"They went to go get some lunch," Meredith said, while Alex read the chart over her shoulder and ate chips at the same time. "There wasn't much for them to do here except sit around. I told them we would notify them if anything changed. Speaking of which, aren't you suppose to be down in the pit today?"

Izzie looked over at her friend and gave her an offended look. "I am. But I have to eat lunch too, you know."

"And earlier when you were up here?" She said with a knowing looking.

"I was getting lab results for a patient."

"The lab is on 4th floor." Alex pointed out.

"The elevator went to the wrong floor!" Izzie huffed.

"Twice?" Cristina asked, disbelievingly.

"Look, I'm here for the same reasons you guys are. Don't try to give me the Bailey speech," Izzie said, looking down at the food in her tray.

They let it drop as they went back to their food and George's chart.

"Alex, could you maybe hover over someone else's shoulder? You're getting chips all over me and the chart."

"Could you maybe not be a chart hog?" The male intern asked, sarcastically.

"Fine here," Meredith said, shoving the chart into his hands.

"Has she left his side once?" Cristina asked, looking at Callie who had her back to them while she sat by George's bed.

"Nope," Meredith answered. "I haven't even seen her leave to go pee. I don't know where she's storing it."

"Jeez, that's some dedication," Cristina said, shaking her head.

Meredith just nodded her head in agreement.

Izzie let her sandwich fall heavily onto her plate as she pushed it away. She suddenly did not feel like eating anymore.

"Dude, Guy-who-doesn't-shower is suggesting to install a shunt," Alex said, reading the chart in his hands.

"A shunt?" Cristina asked, incredulously as she turned to look up at him. "They want to put a freakin' faucet in his head? That can't be right."

She grabbed the chart from his hands and started looking over it.

"It's true. They think it would be the best way to relieve the pressure. I mean, what the hell?"

"Seriously," Meredith said, leaning over to look at the chart again. "That's a bit radical. It's only been 24 hours since the accident occurred. A shunt is usually installed on long term coma patients."

"Are they suggesting any other kind of procedures?" Izzie asked, trying to look over at the chart from her position.

"Is that patient number 8543's chart?" A male interned asked, coming up to the nurses' station.

They all looked up from their spot over the chart.

"If you mean George, than yeah," Izzie said, annoyed. "He's not just some number."

"And you're not suppose to steal charts," he said, grabbing the chart away from Cristina. This time she let the chart go easily from her hands.

"Dude, a shunt?" Alex accused. "Don't you think that's a bit radical?"

"Its been proven to be a good way to relieve pressure in other cases." The male intern said, arrogantly.

"Yeah if the other cases were freakin' vegetables. George has only been out for 24 hours." Cristina scoffed.

The male intern looked at the group standing behind the nurses' station and shook his head.

"You all think you are so special. Like you're the only interns that matter in this hospital. You've lied and cheated and slept your way up the hospital ladder. You're THAT group of interns. That group of interns who are known not because of what they've done but whom they've done. You all should be ashamed of yourselves for the reputation you're giving this hospital. There are other interns in this hospital who work hard and who follow the rules. We don't all sleep around with the attendings or kill a guy to get what we want."

They all sat there for a moment and stared at the intern in front of them as they thought about what he said.

"Well at least we're smart enough to know that a shunt is a bad idea," Cristina said, sarcastically.

"Seriously," Izzie snorted.

Meredith and Alex both laughed.

The other intern perched his lips in anger.

"How would you like it if I told Bailey about your little chart stealing ways?"

"How would you like it if my fist met your face?" Alex threatened.

"Just stay away from my patient. I think you four have created enough problems for this hospital. I'd like to keep this patient alive," He said, before turning around and walking away in a huff.

"Oh yeah, well we'd all like for you to go home and take a shower, but we don't always get what we want!" Meredith called out after him, but the other intern just ignored her as he walked away.

Cristina looked over at her friend with a raised eye-brow.

"What? He just basically called us all sluts and murders all because he was jealous."

"Yeah I know, talk about issues," Cristina said, turning her attention back to the retreating intern.

"What are you all doing here?"

They all slowly turned around to see Bailey standing there glaring at them.

"Lunch," Meredith said, holding up her tray. "There aren't any rules against eating lunch… are there?"

"Then what are you all doing here with your lunch?"

"The lunch room was too crowded?" Cristina tried.

Bailey shook her head disbelievingly.

"Fine. You get 10 more minutes to enjoy your lunch, so you better make it good," she said as she turned to go. "After that I don't want to see any of you on this floor during your shift again."

"Dr. Bailey," Meredith called out to get her residents attention. "George's intern wants to install a shunt."

"A shunt?" she asked, surprised. She turned and came back to the station they were sitting at. "That's a bit extreme. Where did you get this information?"

"That's not important," Alex said, quickly. "What's important is that they want to do a drastic procedure that could do more harm in the long run."

Bailey closed her eyes as she pinched the bridge of her nose to stave off the headache she could feel coming on.

"I'm not longer the resident on the case. He's no longer my patient, so I don't know all the details or…"

"He's not just some patient," Izzie said, interrupting her. "He's George. He's still your intern. He's still one of us… He's… he's George."

Bailey stared at her interns in front of her and sighed heavily.

"I'll check with the resident on the case and see what I can find out. I'm not promising anything but I will look into it."

She then turned and walked away. They all gave a sigh of relief.

"Now you're down to seven minutes," Bailey called out behind her as she walked away.

///000///


	5. Chapter 5

Fic: Falling Awake

Rating: Nothing bad here, unless you would count angst.

Feedback: Of course, feedback is like our crack!

Summary: Just when George thought his life couldn't get any more complicated, it does.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything, unfortunately. It would be cooler if I did though.

Spoilers: All the way until the end of the episode "The Other Side of Life" after that my version takes a different route. I started this fic over the summer so this season doesn't really count, any similarities is only by coincidence. If you haven't watch S4 yet and are staying away from spoilers don't worry nothing here will spoil you.

A/N: Many thanks goes to those who have already read a lot of this and help me sort through my writers block. It was much appreciate:)

**Just a little warning, the medical situations in this may be completely off, I don't know anything, really, when it comes to hospitals or medical knowledge, so prepare yourself for having to suspend your imagination and belief. **

///000///

Bailey pressed the up arrow button as she stood outside the elevator doors and waited for them to open.

It had been a long day, too long. She thought she had made the right decision in giving her interns busy work to make sure they stayed out of the way of George's care, but now she wasn't so sure it was the best plan. She had taken herself off the case because she felt too close. Lately, she had been questioning her leadership skills after the turmoil her interns had been through in the past year. She didn't want to add failing to save their fellow intern and friend to the list. So she made sure to keep herself and her interns busy enough to take their minds off their hurt friend.

Except it didn't work. She had been worried about George all day and could hardly get any work done because of it. And she knew her interns felt the same way. She had caught them all on George's floor on different occasions, despite the fact she gave them work that would keep them off of his floor. She couldn't blame them, though. The only reason why she caught them was because she was checking in on George herself.

As the elevator doors opened up, she allowed the people in it to exit it before she stepped on and pressed the button for the fifth floor. She found herself alone as the doors closed once more and started its slow pull upwards. A fact she was happy about. She needed the quietness even if was for a short ride to the fifth floor.

The elevator came to a stop on the second floor and the doors opened in front of her. The doctor that had giving her such a hard time about the death of Denny Duquette earlier in the year stepped into the elevator with her and turned to push the button for the fifth floor but noticed it was already lit up.

"Dr. Bailey." He greeted, coldly as he turned back around.

"Dr. Savoy." Bailey mirrored his greeting.

"I take it you're going to check on your intern," he said, nodding to the button that indicated the floor George was on.

"I am. How's his condition?" Bailey said turning towards him. She couldn't believe that out of all the residents that could have taken over the case, it had to be the guy that questioned her authority so much.

"It hasn't changed. Still not responding to any of the test the way we would like."

"I was told earlier that your interns are suggesting to install a shunt on George, is that right?"

"Where did you hear that?"

"That's not important," Bailey said, shaking her head. "Is it true? Because if so that seems a bit serious at this point in time."

"I don't know about you Dr. Bailey, but I'm in the business of saving people's lives. Yes, we are looking at installing a shunt, its been proven to be helpful in other coma patients. And if it has proven to be helpful than it's not out of the question."

Bailey nodded as she turned back to the front of the elevator. She felt her emotions rise but held them in check while she was in the presence of the doctor beside her.

"It's a little ironic, don't you think?" Dr. Savoy said, breaking the silence.

"I'm sorry?"

"It's ironic that it was your intern involved in a work related accident. Out of all the interns in the program, once again it's one of yours making news for the hospital staff to talk about," He said, smirking down at the shorter doctor.

Bailey turned towards him and furrowed her eyebrows.

"And what exactly is that suppose to mean?" Bailey huffed out.

"Let me put it this way, by ironic I mean typical."

"It was an accident. Nothing else. George getting hurt…it wasn't anyone's fault," Bailey tried to explain, annoyed.

The elevator finally reached its destination as it came to a stop on George's floor. As the doors opened up the smug doctor turned back towards Bailey.

"No one's fault?" he asked, with a tilt of his head and a smirk planted firmly on his face. "Funny, I wonder where I've heard that excuse before?"

He then turned and stepped off the elevator, leaving a shocked Bailey behind.

///000///

Callie watched the heart monitor as it beeped out a steady rhythm. She had been watching the monitor screen from the moment they let her back to see George over 24 hours ago. Making sure that rhythm didn't speed up or slow down. At the moment the rhythm was the only constant thing in her life and it was the only thing that was keeping her together. So she focused on the steady beep that filled the silence in the room. The beep meant George was alive and that was all that matter to her.

George's mother walked back into the room and went straight to the opposite side of George's bed that Callie was sitting on.

"Honey, I'm back," She said to George lying so still on the bed. She fiddled with George hospital gown as she tried to straighten out some of the winkles it had from his listless state. "You're brothers and I tried that cafeteria you're always talking about. There were a lot of doctors and nurses there, many of them asking about you."

Callie noticed once again his mother was acting like she wasn't there. She had been doing that ever since she had shown up at the hospital with Izzie Stephens in tow. Callie tried to make small talk with the her new mother-in-law, but she would always give her short answers that would pretty much kill the conversation. But it was her mother-in-law so she wouldn't give up on her just yet.

"Where are Ronny and Jerry?" Callie asked, keeping her focus on the heart monitor.

"Work." She said, shortly as she smoothed George's gown out with her hand.

Callie just sighed heavily as she watched the line on the heart monitor go up and down.

"Honey, you're brothers wish they could be here but they couldn't take much time off of work after spending so much time here when you're father was sick. So you'll have to wake up so when they get off work they can see and talk with you again."

Callie wished they were here too. At least they actually talked to her.

"They would love to hear you talk again. Maybe you can tell them about your internship or your friends. They would love to hear about them, just as long as you're talking to them again."

The sad sound of her voice got Callie's attention as she looked over at her mother-in-law, she was fiddling with his gown as tears streamed down her face. Callie swallowed hard.

"I'm sure he would love to tell them about it," Callie tried, lightly.

The older lady looked up at her with anger in her eyes.

"How would you know?"

Callie looked at her in confusion. "Because I'm his wife."

"Really? Is that why he hasn't talked to us since the day he told us he married you? Is that why I haven't talk to my boy in months?"

Callie was taken back by the anger in her voice that was being directed at her.

"Months! It's been months since I've heard the voice of my youngest son! First I loose a husband and then I loose my son to you," She said angrily, making sure to spit out the 'you' at the end.

Callie had no clue George hadn't been talking to his family.

"I told him that night that marrying you was a mistake. It was too soon after his father's death. It was obviously something he didn't want to hear at the time. He's too damn hard headed!"

Callie felt like she couldn't move. She was rooted in her seat in shock as her mother-in-law yelled from her spot by George's side.

"He's always talked to me! Always let me in on his life! But now…now I feel like I don't even know him anymore."

She looked down at her son and placed her hand gently on his cheek and leaned down to kiss him on the forehead right below his bandages. She then leaned back up and walked to the door. She paused by Callie's chair.

"I just want to know my son again," She said, quietly. "You… you I don't really care to know."

She then turned and walked out of the room. Callie watched as the other woman walked out and down the hallway. She turned back towards George and looked at him, he was still lying peacefully in his bed. Unaware of the outburst that just occurred in the room or of the pain and turmoil around him. Callie turned back and focused on the heart monitor again.

///000////

"Well there's nothing in the _Cognitive Rehabilitation _book," Meredith said, slamming her book close.

Izzie looked up from her book as Meredith sat back agitated.

"Did you check the section about Focal Neurological Signs?" Izzie asked from her spot beside Meredith.

"Yup a big nothing. Everything is either too radical or already tried and proven to be useless," Meredith sighed.

"What about the transcranial doppler section?" Izzie asked again. "There's got to be something we can find that would help."

"Yeah check there too, again nothing," Meredith said. "I've been researching so long the words on the page are starting to blur."

"Here lets switch, maybe I can find something in the books and you can look on the net," Alex offered standing up to take Meredith's spot by Izzie.

"Have you tried asking Derek about George's case?" Izzie asked.

"Yeah but that was yesterday when we didn't really know anything. And even then it wasn't a good report. Today he's been swamp with surgeries, I haven't even seen him."

Izzie sighed as she went back to her book. Their shifts had ended hours ago but they all decided to stay to see if they could find something that would help on George's case. They may not have been his doctors on the case, but they were still doctors. They still felt the need to help out. Or at least that was how Meredith, Alex and Cristina felt. For her it had been something completely different. But she couldn't tell them that.

"I don't know what I would do if Derek ever went through something like this," Meredith said, breaking the silence the group had fallen into while they researched.

"Yeah it would suck for him, who would perform his surgery? He's the best so asking for anyone else would just be a bit of a downer," Alex snorted.

"Well, yeah there's that, but also just the fact it's Derek. I don't know how Callie has kept it together for this long." Meredith said, clicking through websites on her computer.

"You just do," Cristina said from her spot at the computer on the table next to Meredith. "I mean yeah you go through that level of freak out at first, but you get through it and you just focus on them getting better."

"George is different," Izzie said, somberly, as she looked down at the book in front of her. "Burke was sitting up and talking and functioning. His arm was hurt but he was here with you. George, he's just… there. Not moving. Not talking. Not functioning. Not being George."

Meredith looked over at her friend sadly.

"Iz, have you been in to see George yet? I mean actually gone in to see him instead of looking in from the window outside his room."

Izzie just shook her head no.

"Why not? I thought you would be in there annoying him until he woke up," Alex said, sarcastically as he flipped through the pages of his book in front of him.

"It's complicated," Izzie said, thinking about her and George's predicament. "We sorta… I guess you could say had a disagreement."

"What did you do use his tooth brush again?" Meredith asked with a small smile. "Or still fighting with Callie?"

"Something like that, yeah. Plus, I don't know if you've noticed but I sorta have bad luck when it comes to my loved ones surviving when I'm on their case."

Alex rolled his eyes. "He's not Denny 2.0. He's not your tragic love story."

Izzie's head popped up as she looked up at Alex with a sad look, before just as quickly looking back down at her book. Meredith watched her friend with a raised eyebrow.

"Have you guys ever heard of Therapeutic Hypothermia?" Cristina asked, looking at her computer screen.

"Is that where you freeze people after they've gone into cardiac arrest?" Meredith asked.

"Yeah, Burke mentioned it once during a surgery, but I've never seen one actually done."

"So? What does this have to do with George's case?" Alex asked.

"According to this website there's been a some experiments on head trauma patients in Scotland and its had a few favorable outcomes."

"What do you mean by a 'few'" Izzie asked, concerned as she got up and stood over Cristina's shoulder to read her computer screen.

"Well there's been some not-so-favorable cases as well, but it has proven to be helpful in other cases. George has the same test results and pressure problems as the cases that did survive."

"Do you think it would help George?" Meredith asked.

"I don't know," Cristina said, unsure. "But it looks better than everything else we've looked up. It's got to be better than a shunt."

"Well we're going to need some help if we're going to get around annoying guy-who-doesn't-shower," Alex said, standing up.

"What do you suggest we do? He seems pretty hell bent on keeping George as his case, like George is some prize to prove that he's a better intern than us or something weird like that," Meredith pointed out.

"I have an idea," Alex said, smiling.

///000////

"Dr. Bailey," Alex called out, as he walked up to the doctor who was filling out paper work at the nurses' station. Meredith, Cristina, and Izzie were following close behind him. "We have an idea we'd like to run past you."

Bailey looked up at her interns. "What are you sucks ups still doing here? I thought I sent you all home to get some rest?"

"We're still here probably for the same reasons you are," Meredith pointed out.

Bailey opened her mouth to protest but was cut off by Izzie.

"We have a plan. A plan to make George better."

Bailey looked at her interns skeptically. "Why does that statement make me nervous?

///000///


	6. Chapter 6

Fic: Falling Awake

Rating: Nothing bad here, unless you would count angst.

Feedback: Of course, feedback is like our crack!

Summary: Just when George thought his life couldn't get any more complicated, it does.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything, unfortunately. It would be cooler if I did though.

Spoilers: All the way until the end of the episode "The Other Side of Life" after that my version takes a different route. I started this fic over the summer so this season doesn't really count, any similarities is only by coincidence. If you haven't watch S4 yet and are staying away from spoilers don't worry nothing here will spoil you.

A/N: Many thanks goes to those who have already read a lot of this and help me sort through my writers block. It was much appreciate:)

**Just a little warning, the medical situations in this may be completely off, I don't know anything, really, when it comes to hospitals or medical knowledge, so prepare yourself for having to suspend your imagination and belief. **

///000///

"We think a shunt would be a good way to approach this case," Dr. Savoy said, as he stood outside of George's room with his interns and explained their case to Derek.

"A shunt?" Callie asked standing in the hallway with them. George mother stood at the door listening intently. "Do you think that would work?"

"Well it's just one option to look at now," Derek said, looking at George's chart. "We usually like to wait awhile before we install a shunt."

"But if it could help him better than we should do it, right?" George's mother asked.

"Right," Dr. Savoy said. "Dr. Howard would you like to explain how a shunt works?"

"Yes sir," the intern said. "A shunt can be installed to relieve some of the fluid build up and pressure. You can think of it like a faucet. You can put it in and let all that fluid come rushing out."

George mother winced at the doctor's explanation.

"A faucet?" She said, unsure. "That sounds a bit serious. I'm not sure my boy would like hardware installed into his head."

"That's because he wouldn't," Bailey said, loudly as she walked up with her interns following close behind her.

Dr. Savoy sighed in annoyance.

"Dr. Bailey," He said, annoyed. "A shunt is a perfectly good way to handle the case."

"Yeah if you want to walk around with a waterspout in your head," Alex retorted.

Bailey held her hand up at Alex.

"Karev," she warned.

"What?" he said, shrugging his shoulders. "It's true. It's a stupid plan."

"Of course it is," Bailey said, knowingly. "But you don't have the floor right now."

Dr. Savoy crossed his arms.

"We all know that with the kind of pressure build up he has, he's treatment is limited. Dr. O'Malley is a special case," The smug doctor said.

"He sure is," Bailey said, nodding her head. "That's why it's going to take special treatment."

"Dr. Bailey, if you have any other grand ideas," Savoy said. "Please, by all means, tell us. If you don't, than I think we've got it handled from here."

"Okay then," Bailey said, looking at the arrogant doctor. She smiled and then turned to her interns. "Now you have the floor."

"We have a plan that doesn't involve installing bathroom appliances," Alex announced.

"Right, we'd like to suggest Therapeutic Hypothermia," Izzie said, smiling.

Derek looked over at the interns with an interested look.

"Really? Hypothermia treatment?"

"You want to send a patient into hypothermia?" Dr. Savoy asked, condescendingly. "Wow, just when I thought Bailey's group couldn't come up with a more absurd plan…"

"This plan has been shown to have favorable outcome in a few cases in Scotland. The body's core temperatures are lowered to about 95 degrees to slow the flow of blood and other fluids to the brain. That way the fluid and pressure build up can be relieved more naturally. Studies have shown a better outcome with this type of treatment," Cristina explained.

"Hypothermia? That's pretty dangerous," Callie said, worried.

"Nah, it's not that bad," Meredith said with a wave her hand.

"The best part of our plan is that it is the least invasive procedure. There's no shunts or drilling into his skull or even surgeries," Izzie said, proudly.

"Dr. Shepherd, do you think this could work for Georgie?" Mrs. O'Malley said, concerned.

"Well I have read some positive cases on cardiac and stroke patients with this sort of treatment. However, hypothermia has its down falls," Derek said, glancing at Meredith.

"Right, well we would have to keep a close eye on George to make sure his body responds well or doesn't go below the 95 degree mark. We would have to cover him in ice packs, cover him in cooling blankets, and lower the temperature in this room and watch him around the clock. It's a tricky procedure but with the right care it could lower the pressure build up," Bailey explained.

"Well I would need more research," Derek said. "But so far I like what I'm hearing."

He handed George's chart to Bailey and started to walk away.

"I want all the information you can find on Therapeutic Hypothermia and we'll go from there. Good work, Dr. Bailey."

"Thank you," Bailey said, smiling at Dr. Savoy.

Her interns all smiled at each other proudly. Bailey looked at them and cocked her head to the side.

"You heard the man, go. Research. Save George."

They all turned around and quickly went back down the hallway.

"Well, I guess organs aren't the only thing you and your little interns are willing to steal," Dr. Savoy said, annoyed. As his interns walked off disappointed.

"Dr. Savoy, I don't know about you, but I'm in the business to save lives," She said, smiling while crossing her arms. "Besides isn't it a little ironic how my interns can out perform your interns?"

She turned to leave but turned around as she walked away.

"By ironic I mean typical," She repeated his earlier statement with venom as she backed away.

Dr. Savoy looked at her retreating form with narrowed eyes before turning around and walking off in a huff.

///000///

Callie stood outside in the hallways and watched George's friends work around him. Alex was setting up portable air conditioners around the room to keep the room temperature down. Meredith and Cristina were administrating medication through George's IV that would help lower his body temperature quicker. However, it was Izzie who she was keeping a close eye on. She watched Izzie as she worked so carefully on her husband. The blond doctor did it with such a loving care and soft touch that it made Callie's stomach turn. She was gently placing ice packs and covering him with cooling blankets. She pulled the blanket up and made sure he was comfortably tucked in.

As hard as it was watching other people take care of her husband, it was even harder to watch them to worry over him. Watching Izzie as she looked over him made something inside of Callie twist with anger and disappointment. Izzie was watching over her husband with a look that sent a chill up Callie's spine. It was a look that was all too familiar to her. She had seen that familiar look staring back at her in the mirror from her own reflection. The look could only be described as a look of love.

"I heard they were going to try Therapeutic Hypothermia on George," Addison said, coming up to stand beside Callie at the window. "That's an interesting approach."

Callie looked over at the other woman before turning back to look back into the room.

"Yeah, they think it would be the least intrusive procedure. Your ex-husband wants to try this new procedure that he's never done before on my husband," Callie said, unhappily. She then snorted before adding sarcastically, "George the lab rat. He's always wanted to discover some medical miracle, but somehow I don't think he had this in mind."

"Do you not want them to try the hypothermia treatment?"

"I just want my husband to wake up. I want him to not need the assistant of others to stay alive," Callie said as she watched Izzie carefully place ice packs around George.

Addison nodded her understanding.

"George isn't a lab rat. Derek isn't in this to prove anything. The only medical miracle that he is looking for is one that will come from George. Not something he did. Derek just doesn't work that way."

"Sorry, I'm just in a weird mood," Callie apologized.

"Don't worry, if there is a chance you can find fault in my perfect ex-husband, I'm all ears," Addison smiled softly at her friend. "But here, as a doctor, Derek is flawless."

Callie just nodded her head.

"So why are you way out here then?" Addison asked. "Shouldn't you be in there with the rest of them, instead of out here looking in?"

Callie stayed silent for a moment as she watched the others work diligently on George.

"It's always been this way, why change now?"

When Callie noticed the confuse look from Addison she continued.

"George and his friends, they have this weird support thing. They give each other strength when they need it the most. They get each other and can reach each other at a level that outsiders of their little group can never truly get too. No matter how hard they try. Even when they are fighting they get each other," Callie said, shaking her head as she tried to put into words how out an outsider really was with the group. "God, its even worse when they are fighting. When they are fighting its so annoyingly obvious just how much they truly need each other. And how much they don't need the outsider."

Addison looked over at her friend sadly.

"When you say friends, do you mean one friend in particular?" She asked, turning back to watch Izzie work on George.

Callie allowed her silence to answer the question.

Both women stood in silence as they watch the group inside George's room work attentively. Suddenly, Callie turned and walked off.

"Where are you going?" Addison asked, confused as she watched Callie walk away.

Callie turned around and looked over at Addison sadly. "I've been here for two days and there's been no change. I don't know, maybe he just needs…" She looked over into the room at Izzie. "…maybe he needs his 'friends'. Maybe they can reach him in a way I can't. I'm going to go somewhere that's not anywhere near… his friends. If there is any change beep me."

With that she walked away. Addison sighed heavily as she turned back around and looked into the room. She watched as Bailey entered the room.

///000///

"Alright people, here's the plan," Bailey said, walking into the room and getting everyone attention. "You all will be monitoring George in shifts."

They all listened to their mentor intently.

"There are rules. There will be no big decision making without my consent. Don't think for a second I didn't notice you all going behind my back to come up with this plan when I specifically told you to stay off the case. The only thing that's saved your sneaky but caring behinds is the fact that this plan is actually beneficial to George. But the line stops there. You will not even think without notifying me first. You will not move a muscle without the thought crossing your mind, would this piss off me, the one, who holds your precious little dreams of becoming world renown suck ups, in my hand. Do I make myself clear?"

Her interns stood around uncomfortably as she explained the rules.

"Okay, I know I'm the big pink elephant standing in the middle of the room," Izzie said with a small laugh that was anything but happy. "I can step down. If you think its best… I know the last time when Denny," She tried to explain, swallowing hard. "… I know I didn't use the best judgment. So if you want, I can just step down. I just want full updates. That's all I ask for."

"No," Bailey said, firmly.

"I can't get updates?" Izzie asked, hurt. "I think I at least deserve that!"

"I mean, no," Bailey interrupted, annoyed. "You're not stepping down. You're not allowed. And you're not the only one who has pulled some bone-headed moves because of a loved one in this hospital."

Bailey looked at them each individually. Cristina and Meredith looked at each other with raised eyebrows.

"This is a chance for all of you to prove that you can do this," Bailey started again. "This is chance to show that you can think rationally and sanely without coming up with schemes or risking lives. Sadly, it is true, you're that group of interns that everyone talks about. I would be lying if I said this group didn't have a nasty reputation following it. That you weren't being mocked or looked down upon in the gossip mill of this hospital. So for once, be that group of interns that proves all those gossip mongers wrong. Be the that group of interns who are known for what they do professionally not personally. But mostly just be the best group and get George back."

They all nodded their understanding. For once they were speechless. It felt like she was giving them the pep speech before the big game.

"Now back to George," Bailey said, walking over to his bedside. "You will have to watch him closely. Watch his vitals. Make sure his temperature doesn't go lower than 95 degrees. You must also make sure his body doesn't try to warm itself up through shivering. If he does that, than we'll have to lower his body temperature more, which could do more harm than good."

She looked down at her intern who was lying so still on the bed, he was now covered by the cooling blankets and ice packs. She looked back up at her other interns.

"Meredith you'll go first. You'll probably need to go get your field jacket. Its only going to get colder in here as we lower his body temp and keep it that way for the next 24 hours. The last thing I need is for the rest of you to get sick. Lord knows you're whiney enough when you're well."

"Yes mam," Meredith said.

"When one is in here keeping an eye on George, the rest of you will be running labs to see how his pressure is doing. You'll be doing research based on those findings to see if any of the previous cases could give us more information on how to handle George's case."

They all agreed by nodding and taking her instructions down in their small notepads.

"Cristina, you'll be at point on this case. You're in charge so I expect you to handle things."

"What?" Cristina asked, looking up in surprise. "Me?"

"Yes, you." Bailey said, narrowing her eyes at the intern. "Aren't you the one who is always salivating for a good case? Always hounding me for the best ones?"

"Yes… but…I..I just thought…" Cristina stuttered. She looked at her friends for back up but they all just gave her confused looks. "… I mean…wouldn't you rather have Meredith or…" she looked at Izzie with her rocky past and Alex who wasn't the biggest fan of George's… "or well Meredith?"

Bailey put her hands on her hips.

"You were here when this case started," She explained in a stern tone. "And unless you can give me a reason why you shouldn't be in charge, you'll be here until the end of this case. Is there any good reason why you can't handle the case?"

Cristina swallowed hard. The sight of George lying lifelessly on the hospital floor flashed through her mind. She looked at her friends as they all waited for her answer.

"No," she gave in, finally. "No good reason."

"Good," Bailey said with a nod of the head. She walked towards the door. "Besides I'll be checking up on you all every half hour, so you better not screw this up with in those 30 minutes. If you do, there will be four hospital beds lined up beside his with your names on them."

///000///

"You know George everyone is missing you," Meredith said, from her spot by his bed "All the nurses are pissed that out of all the interns who could be in a coma, its you, their favorite. When you wake up you'll have to tell me your secret on how you got all the staff wrapped around your little finger. Even the scary lunch lady with the mustache asked about you today. You know if you've got her on your side, you must be doing something right."

Meredith looked at her friend sleeping peacefully in his bed. She was just talking at him to pass the time. She pulled her jacket closer around her as she talked to her sleeping friend.

///000///

"Dude, you're missing some kick ass surgeries," Alex said, from his spot by the bed, his feet were propped up on the bed as he talked at George. "Burke had this really crazy surgery where this old guy almost died from an aneurysms that was ready blow. Burke caught it right before it exploded in the O.R. It was awesome to witness."

///000///

Cristina checked the heart monitor and wrote down the numbers in the chart. She then went over to George bed and checked the urine bag and wrote the findings in her chart as well. All she had to do was keep her mind busy by treating George like any other patient. She was there to monitor his results not to coddle him. This wasn't George her fellow intern in the bed in front of her, it was patient number 8543, that's all she had to keep telling herself.

Cristina briefly looked down at George who was lying motionless in front of her. She clenched her teeth as she went back to the heart monitor.

///000///

"Then there was this wicked plastic's case where this guy got shot in the face," Alex said, still in his reclined position by George's bed. He hands were behind his head as he talked. "Half his face was gone so Sloan just gave him a new one. Too bad you weren't there to see it… actually I'm kinda glad you weren't there, if you were still up and about then there would have been less of a chance of me getting to see it. So I guess you being coma-guy sucks for you but better for me getting awesome surgeries."

///000///

"You're going to have to wake up soon because I gotta say not having you here throws our little group really out of orbit," Meredith said, sitting by George's bed. She rubbed her hands together to warm them up from the cold room. "It's just weird not having you here. I keep expecting to see you come around the corner to talk about the latest squabble you and Izzie are having. Speaking of Izzie, this is really hitting her hard. She's hardly come to see you, in fact the only time she's been here was when Bailey made us come prep you for hypothermia treatment. As we both know Izzie likes to talk, and lately she's been extra quiet, which is seriously weird and add the fact that she's even quieter around you and it's down right creepy. Alex is being his own version of creepy by being attentive and caring about your case, which I'm sure you'll find quiet disturbing once you wake up. And Cristina, she's acting unusual too. Well more unusual than she already acts. I don't know what's got into her but she freaked in your surgery, even if she won't admit it. It's like you left me alone in bizarro land."

///000///

"And Addison," Alex said with a small smile. "Dude, let met tell you, the gyno-squad…it kicks ass. Of course the only reason why I'm saying this is because you're in a coma and you won't remember this when you wake up. And if you do remember I will deny everything as I'm kicking your ass."

Alex smiled as he looked over at the other man lying in the bed. His smile faltered as he saw his listless state. He sighed as he crossed his arms uncomfortably, trying to keep warm as he sat in the cold room.

///000///

"Oh and if you see dead people… well don't freak," Meredith snorted. "Well okay, freak a little, they'll probably be all preachy and melodramatic, but just listen to what they have to say and it will make things a lot easier. If you see Doc running around give him a hug for me…actually if you see Doc running around it probably means your in your own version of hell since you hated him with a fiery passion, so scratch that idea."

///000///

Cristina checked the bandages on George's head. She carefully pulled them back and checked the stitches that Dr. Shepherd had given him in his surgery. She thought back to that day in the scrub room as her mentors fought to save George's life. She had stood frozen in place as she watched them shock George with the paddles. She could still hear all of the monitors going off signaling that they were loosing him.

Cristina shook her head as she went back to checking his bandages.

///000///

Izzie stood at the end of his bed with her arms crossed. She just stood there watching his chest go up and down with the rhythm of his breathing. It was the only thing she could focus on.

She couldn't get out of her head how this sleeping George was so different from the sleeping George she was use to. He was one of those sleepers that rolled all over the bed and usually woke up in a tangle of sheets. Sometimes when it was really cold in Meredith's house or when she just felt lonely, she would go sleep with George in his bed. Before he moved out. When things were much less complicated between them and she could tell him anything. She always teased him about him being such a messy sleeper and told him it was a like the sleep version of wrestling. He always told her that if she was going to complain than she wasn't going to be allowed back in his bed, but the next night she would show up at his door and with out a word he would pull back the covers for her. He was George and she was Izzie, those simple gestures were things that meant the most. She missed that. She missed being able to go to his room and him just automatically know what she was there for. She missed the warmth of him sleeping beside her. Or how when she was having a bad day or missing Denny more than normal he would wrap his arms around her and hold her. But most of all she missed talking to him. Even before he had his accident she couldn't tell him all of this. She couldn't tell him that it took loosing him to realize what she had right in front of her all along.

Now though she was on the verge of loosing him in a way she was all too familiar with. Loosing Denny was the hardest thing she had lived through, but loosing George, she wasn't sure she would be able to survive that.

If it was fate, it was fate. She knew she was helpless to what fate had in store for them. She also knew from her experience with Denny she couldn't stop fate. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't save Denny's fate with death or the heartbreak afterwards and she knew this was the same thing. So she watched George chest rise up and down and prayed that it never stopped.

She pulled her jacket closer around her as she stood there. The room was freezing but she didn't care.

"So I have a confession to make," Izzie whispered to him, slowly coming up to the side of his bed.

"I lied to you the other day. When I told you that I didn't have any feelings for you…" she said, keeping her eyes on his chest. "When I told you that our night together didn't mean anything, I lied."

Her eyes slowly made their way up to his face for the first time since she had entered the room. He was so pale and fragile looking. She swallowed hard at the sight.

"I was being selfish-Izzie again when I said you should stay because our night together was just a mistake. I just couldn't stand the idea of you transferring to Mercy West, so I lied. Just to keep you with me."

She watched George's face, as he lay there unmoving. Nothing but the beep of the monitors and the roar of the portable air conditioners could be heard.

"You're probably pissed that I lied to you," Izzie laughed out as tears spilled down her cheeks. "You'd probably say to not make this about me and you're right, I'm sorry. It's just that… the idea of not having you by my side… it's a little terrifying."

She wiped away the tears that were running freely down her face.

"But in the last couple of days I've realized that there are a lot more things in life to be afraid of than you transferring to Mercy West. So I'm giving you a warning in advance because I'm about to go into selfish-Izzie mode again."

Izzie watched his face for any indication that he could hear her but his face remained blank. She carefully placed her hand on his chest. She could feel the faint pounding of his heartbeat just below her palm.

"I'm giving you an out," She said, her voice cracking with emotion. "I'm letting go. If you want to transfer to Mercy West, that's fine. I won't object any more. If it will make things easier for you than I get that. If you want to work things out with Callie, I'll help you in any way I can, I wont stand in the way anymore. I'll even be nice to her for you. But please… please stay in this world. That's all I ask. As long as you're in this world, no matter where you are, I'll be okay."

The tears were coming so fast now that even if she wanted to she couldn't stop them. She didn't care because she was laying it all on the line for him.

"If you can hang on a little longer and really fight that would be great. I just need to know you're living, breathing, and walking around in this world, because you see I'm in love with you. I love you and you're my best friend and it makes it all kinds of complicated, but I do. I'm head over heals, no turning back, completely in love with you. And when you love someone it's imperative for them to be alive and well. That's all I'm asking for. Just be okay. So wake up. Wake up for Callie, or for you're Mom, or for even freakin' Mercy West, I don't care, just as long as you wake up. Wake up, George. Just wake up!" She cried out.

She allowed her body to give away as she collapsed in the chair beside him. She laid her head on his chest and let out all of the emotions she had been holding back.

"Just wake up," She whispered, listening to the pounding of his heart.

///000///


	7. Chapter 7

Fic: Falling Awake

Rating: Nothing bad here, unless you would count angst.

Feedback: Of course, feedback is like our crack!

Summary: Just when George thought his life couldn't get any more complicated, it does.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything, unfortunately. It would be cooler if I did though.

Spoilers: All the way until the end of the episode "The Other Side of Life" after that my version takes a different route. I started this fic over the summer so this season doesn't really count, any similarities is only by coincidence. If you haven't watch S4 yet and are staying away from spoilers don't worry nothing here will spoil you.

A/N: Many thanks goes to those who have already read a lot of this and help me sort through my writers block. It was much appreciate:)

**Just a little warning, the medical situations in this may be completely off, I don't know anything, really, when it comes to hospitals or medical knowledge, so prepare yourself for having to suspend your imagination and belief. **

///000///

"Son of a…"

"Huh...I'm not asleep!" Izzie groggily yelped, sitting up quickly. She blinked hard a couple of times and looked around and realized she obviously had fallen asleep by George's bedside. She rubbed the back of her neck where a crick had formed from where she had laid her head down on top of his chest.

"I don't care," Cristina said, offhandedly while staring at the charts in front of her.

"What's going on?" Izzie asked, concerned.

"The lab just sent the results from the tests you ran earlier."

"And?" Izzie asked, standing up and walking over to look over her shoulder at the chart.

"And… his pressure is starting to drop," Cristina said, surprised. She looked up and over at Izzie who just stared at her blankly for a second.

"Seriously?" Izzie asked, disbelievingly snatching the chart to see for herself.

"Seriously."

Izzie flipped through the pages of the chart and studied the results for herself. Soon a bright smile started to spread across her face.

"Seriously?!" She asked, this time excitement showing in her voice.

"Seriously," Cristina confirmed again, trying to hide the smile that was forming on her own face. It soon dropped as Izzie squealed and engulfed her with a hug. Cristina awkwardly stood there as Izzie hugged her.

Izzie pulled back smiling. "So this means he could wake up soon, right?"

"Yeah…I guess. It's definitely got to be a good sign. His pressure dropped considerably since we first started this freezing technique."

"Wow…Go George. Go us," Izzie said, excited, jumping up and down on her the balls of her feet.

"I better go inform Bailey of the results," Cristina said, walking towards the door. "Oh, and Izzie if you tell anyone I allowed you to hug me… we'll be trying the freezing technique on you next."

Izzie just ignored her threat as she stood in front of George's bed smiling at him. She looked around to see if anyone was watching as she moved to the side of the bed. She took his cold hand into her warm one.

"Way to go George," She said smiling with tears in her eyes.

///000///

Callie sat in the hard plastic chairs of the main entrance waiting area, listening to the quietness of the hospital. You could always count on Seattle Grace to be buzzing with life. It was one of the busiest hospitals on the west coast, but every once in a while the hospital would fall into a quiet lull. No big cases to attend to, no big disasters to keep them busy, no world-renowned surgeries to partake in. Just quietness. For many of the workers this meant a time to relax and enjoy the break, but not for surgeons. Surgeons never liked to see a lull period. They were an anxious bunch. Always strung out on the scalpel. Always impatiently waiting for the next great surgery. Craving the sweet taste of action that a surgery brought. The quietness was something that they were never prepared for. In their profession they thrived on the action, the chaos, and the bigger than life cases.

However, for Callie she accepted the quietness for once. As she sat in the darkened waiting area she took in the tranquility of the hospital and for the first time in what seemed like weeks, she felt like she could breathe. In the darkness, it was just her. No husband to worry over, no best friend of husbands to be jealous of, no sadness that maybe their marriage wasn't meant to be. It was just her and the silence.

"Callie?"

Callie slowly lifted her head from the back of the chair to see Mrs. O'Malley standing in front of her.

"What are you doing here?" The older lady asked.

"Thought I would get some fresh air," She replied, but thought it felt more like running away from George and his friends.

George's mother nodded her head as if she understood. She studied the raven-haired doctor for a moment as if she was trying to make some sort of assessment. Finally, she sighed and sat down beside her.

"My Georgie, he's never been much a talker," Mrs. O'Malley began. Callie kept her focus straight ahead. "I had two typical boys. Always loud, always getting dirty, and always causing trouble. But then there was my Georgie. Sweet, quiet, and always my little angel. Did you know he never once got a spanking when growing up. Not like my other two who got at least 3 on any given day. But noo, not George though. When he was little he would follow me around like a shadow. He was my little helper. Helping me with the housework and taking care of the family. He would follow me around quietly and do whatever I did with no complaints. Of course I always knew it was partly because he needed protection from his older brothers, but I also liked to think that he just wanted to spend the day with me."

She was smiling at the memory as she talked.

"I miss those days," She said, sighing heavily. "But now he's the big smart doctor. Helping other families. But he's still my little angel and he's still as quiet as ever."

She looked over at her daughter-in-law and noticed her own quietness. She gently reached out and placed her hand on top of hers to get her attention. Callie looked over at her with apprehension.

"Earlier… when I said you were the reason why I haven't talk to him for months… well, its not true. It's not your fault. It's mine."

Callie's furrowed her brow at the older woman in confusion. She wasn't quite sure where she was going with this conversation.

"I don't know if you've ever noticed but when George is under pressure or gets stressed out he tends to lash out. He pushes people away and closes down and usually ends up in some sort of screaming match with the ones he loves. Unfortunately, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. I wish he could have gotten my bad spelling, but nope, he had to get my worst trait."

She laughed lightly as Callie listened, who still wasn't entirely sure what to say.

"Like I said George has always been quiet. He bottles things up. And I always worried about him doing that too much. I'm a talker obviously and they say its good to get things off your chest. But with George, getting him to talk about his life and the things that bother him is like trying to pull teeth sometimes."

Callie scoffed. "You're telling me."

Mrs. O'Malley smiled. "That night when he called to tell me about you guys eloping. I was still reeling from the death of my husband. To find out that my baby boy was now a husband himself… it was a shock to the system. And that bad trait of mine that he seems to have inherited, well it struck again. So for all this time… when he didn't call or reach out… it was because of me."

"I'm sorry," Callie said, apologetically. "He still should have called you. If I had known…"

"I know," Mrs. O'Malley said, patting Callie's hand. "It wouldn't have done any good though. He also inherited his father's stubbornness."

Callie smiled at her. She was just glad that her mother-in-law was finally beginning to open up to her a little.

"So I apologize for my little outburst from before. As long as George is happy, I'm happy. And if he opens up to you… if he talks to you about his life, well then I'll always welcome you to our family with open arms."

Callie's smile dropped a little as Mrs. O'Malley reached over and pulled her into a hug. She closed her eyes as George's mother held her close. She couldn't tell her that her son never really opened up to her either. She knew exactly how his mother felt because sometimes it felt like he was giving her the silent treatment as well.

Mrs. O'Malley pulled back from the hug and Callie plastered on a shaky smile.

"Now," Mrs. O'Malley said. "How is his freezing thing going?"

Callie swallowed hard.

"I'm not sure," she said, meekly. "I've just been wondering around for a long time … I thought I would let his friends take care of him."

Mrs. O'Malley nodded her understanding, but before she could say anything else Callie's beeper went off.

The both looked at the black electronic device clipped onto her side. They both knew it was about George. Callie slowly lifted the small device up and looked at the message on the screen.

"Well?" Mrs. O'Malley said, anxiously.

"It's George…" Callie said, looking up in amazement. "Apparently there's been some sort of change."

///000///


	8. Chapter 8

Fic: Falling Awake

Rating: Nothing bad here, unless you would count angst.

Feedback: Of course, feedback is like our crack!

Summary: Just when George thought his life couldn't get any more complicated, it does.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything, unfortunately. It would be cooler if I did though.

Spoilers: All the way until the end of the episode "The Other Side of Life" after that my version takes a different route. I started this fic over the summer so this season doesn't really count, any similarities is only by coincidence. If you haven't watch S4 yet and are staying away from spoilers don't worry nothing here will spoil you.

A/N: Many thanks goes to those who have already read a lot of this and help me sort through my writers block. It was much appreciate:)

**Just a little warning, the medical situations in this may be completely off, I don't know anything, really, when it comes to hospitals or medical knowledge, so prepare yourself for having to suspend your imagination and belief. **

///000///

Callie sat on one side of George's bed while his mother sat on the other side. Another day had inched by as they both stayed rooted by his side. Except this time his pressure was dropping at good rates and his was responsive through a few touch tests. For a regular case it wouldn't have been that big of an improvement, but for them it was huge. It was hope.

The day had gone by much faster this time, not only because of George's health improvements, but also because of the improvement between herself and his mother. His mother was now opening up to her more and more. She wasn't being cold or acting closed off. She and Callie had talked for hours and it had been nice. It made her wish that she had the same relationship with her own mother. She hardly ever saw her mother. But that was by choice. She had always felt so different than her parents. When growing up she had almost convinced herself that she must have been adopted or placed at their doorstep as a baby, because their was no way she had come from her parents. They were so over bearing and pushy and domineering. It was either their way or no way. Callie always told herself that she would never grow up to be like them.

She wanted a mother like George's who was caring and sweet. Who wanted the best for their children by their own accord and not what she thought would be the best. George's mother had also told her so many stories about George growing up. Things she had never known, like how he was allergic to certain fabric softeners. She had never known that. It was simple things like that, that probably didn't mean much to George, but meant everything to her.

"Oh, we always knew that Georgie would grow up and use his heart and brain to help anyone who needed it," Mrs. O'Malley said, smiling from her spot by George.

"Really?" Callie asked, smiling herself.

"Oh yes, did he ever tell you about the time he almost adopted a coyote?"

"A coyote?" Callie laughed. "Definitely not. But please do tell me so I can use it against him later."

"Well George was about 10 or 11 I believe. He always had the biggest heart. Always trying to save stray cats and dogs and helping wounded animals. Well, one summer we decided to go camping for our family vacation. And the campsite that we stayed at had a lot of stray dogs around. And every night George would take our scraps and feed them to these strays. Harold always tried to act annoyed because it meant these dogs would hang around begging for food, but I knew deep down Harold was proud of his little boy's big heart."

George's mother smiled as she told her story. Callie listened intently.

"Well one afternoon George was feeding these strays when he noticed a scruffy looking dog at the edge of the woods. He was limping and of course that called out to George. He just had to help him then and wanted to take him home to do it. But every time he got close to him he would run away. George kept on though. Leaving food out for him. And every day the dog would allow George to get just a little bit closer. We never saw the dog so we never paid close attention to him. We just thought it was another one of George's rescue missions. Well one late afternoon, this dog showed up at our campsite. And George was ready for him with his food. He was calling for the dog to come closer into our site and sure enough the dog slowly started coming our way. Apparently George had gained its trust within just a few days. And as it started to get closer and closer, we noticed that this dog was a little more scruffy than the other strays. He looked almost rabid. He had foam coming out of his mouth, and short scruffy hair and pointy ears. It was then that Ronny notice that George's special stray wasn't a dog at all, but a coyote."

"No way," Callie laughed out. "What did you do then?"

"We all screamed and Harold plucked George up as we all ran and jumped in the car," She said, laughing at the memory. She then slowly stopped laughing. "Harold had to take the thing out with his gun though. We were afraid he would attack one of the boys. Especially George who seem so attached to him. We didn't want him to trust it too much only for it to bite him in the end. George begged his father not to shoot the thing, but he did anyways. He cried all the way home and didn't speak to us for days afterwards."

"Oh," Callie said, not laughing anymore. "Well I guess you had to do what you had to do."

Mrs. O'Malley shook her head sadly. "Yes, we just wanted to protect him. Even if it did break his heart a little."

Both women sat in silence as they thought about her story. But both looked up when they noticed George's fingers move. Their eyes both got wide as they noticed the movement. They looked up at his face and held their breath as the watched him.

His nose twitched.

///000///

George took a deep breath through his nose and notice the strong smoke smell. He turned around and noticed the small campfire with a bunch of chairs, sleeping bags, and tents circling it. He looked up and noticed the woods around him.

He had been there before. The woods, the tent, and sleeping bags, they all felt familiar. It was like he was having some weird déjà vu.

Movement from the edge of the woods caught his attention as he looked up. A small dog was slowly making its way out of the woods. His head was bent down low and his ears were pinned back as it crept its way closer. George furrowed his eyebrows at the site. He felt like he had seen the dog before as well. He stepped a little closer to the scruffy looking dog and noticed he was very short and almost looked like a mix between a fox and a raggy looking dog.

He bent down and grabbed some bread from his pocket. He didn't know how he knew he had it, he just did. He extended his hand out to the small dog that was slowly coming closer. It had a slight limp and looked like he needed a bath. George looked it in the eyes and could see the uncertainty. The thing was scared. He wasn't sure what would happen but he could also see warmth in its eyes. A trust.

"Georgie!!"

George froze from the sound of the familiar voice. He swallowed hard before slowly turning his head in the direction of the voice.

"Get out of the way, Georgie!"

George let the bread in his hand fall away as he slowly stood up and turned fully around.

"Dad," George whispered, standing up and looking at his father in awe.

"I said get out of the way son!"

He then noticed that he had a shotgun pointed just behind him. George looked back at the small dog that had frozen in its tracks. It looked terrified. Not knowing rather to continue on to the food or to run off.

George turned back around to his father.

"What are you doing Dad?" He asked not moving out of the way of the dog.

"George the thing has to be put down. Now get out of the way!" He said keeping his shotgun aimed behind George.

"Why?" George asked. "It's just a dog."

"Because son, it's not just a dog. It's a coyote. A potentially dangerous one!"

"Really?" George said, turning around to the animal. He looked at it again. "Huh, I thought you were just a dog this whole time." George said, quietly.

"Georgie, I'm not going to tell you again! Move it or loose it!"

"Dad!" George called out, turning back around smiling. "Its okay, I don't think it's going to hurt us. It just wants some food."

"George, it's a wild thing. You can't trust it. It could turn on you at any moment and hurt you."

George shook his head as he looked back and forth between the coyote and his father.

"No I think its okay. I don't think it'll hurt us. It just needs some food to live. It just has to trust us."

"George…" His father warned.

"Come on Dad," George said, smiling. "Just let it be."

George started slowly making his way towards his father. Keeping himself between his father's gun and the coyote.

"It'll be okay. It's not going to hurt us."

His father's eyes flickered between the coyote and his approaching son.

"George…I don't want you to get hurt," His father said, keeping his gun pointed steady over George's shoulder.

"Don't worry about me Dad," George said, getting a little closer to his father. "I thought it was just a dog this whole time and it hasn't hurt me yet."

George was now standing right in front of his father.

"Let it go Dad," He said, smiling at him. "Let it go back home. It deserves to run free in the wild. Where it belongs."

George's father looked at his son, his hard stance starting to falter.

"Just trust it," George said, looking at his father directly in the eyes.

George's father slowly let his gun fall by his side. George smiled brightly at his father and turned to look at the coyote.

The coyote was curiously watching them. It tilted its head as if it was trying to figure out what they were saying. It studied his father for a second before letting its gaze fall on George. Finally, it started towards the food George had dropped to the ground before. It ate up the food quickly and then moved onto the beans in the pan by the campfire. George and his father watched silently as it eagerly ate the food.

After it finished all that was there for it to eat, it trotted back towards the woods, but it stopped at the edge and turned around to look at George, once more.

"How did you know it wouldn't hurt you?" George's father asked, breaking the silence.

"Because something that beautiful could never hurt me," George said in awe, never taking his eyes off the animal in front of him.

"Georgie, you're not making sense. That thing looks wild," his father chuckled. "It looks like it's seen its better days."

"It's still beautiful to me," George said in wonder. The coyote looked at George once more before running off into the woods.

George felt his father wrap his arm around his shoulders. "You sound just like your mother."

"What?" George asked confused.

"Georgie, go back to the wild. Run free. Go back to where you belong."

"Again what?" George asked again. "Now who's the one not making sense?"

"Some things look like one thing and then turn out to be something completely different. Something more," He explained. "It may look dangerous. But in the end, it's beautiful."

"Dad, I don't know what you've been smoking out here in the woods but…"

"Just give into it. Go be in the wild. Be happy," He whispered, pulling his son into a hug.

"Dad…" George said, unsure what else to say. As he put his arms around his father, he suddenly felt light headed.

"Give you're mother a kiss for me. I miss her."

"Dad... wait…" George said, feeling like he was slipping away.

"You just gotta trust it, Georgie…"

///000///

"George!" Callie called out, rubbing his chest to try and get a response. She pushed the emergency button for the nurse or doctor to come. "Come on George. Open your damn eyes!"

Mrs. O'Malley stood by her son's side in shock. Just a moment ago his hand had twitched and then his nose had done the same thing. Now his eyes were beginning to move. She felt her heart stop as she held her breath and watched her son lying in front of her.

She slowly reached out with a shaky hand and gently placed it on his cheek.

"George," She whispered.

George eyes started to flutter. Both Callie and his mother gasped at the sight.

"Momma?" George's rough voice whispered.

Callie slowly looked over to the other woman. She had tears streaming down her face as she looked at her son in awe. Callie couldn't help the bright smile that lit up her face.

"Georgie," Mrs. O'Malley chocked out. "I'm here, honey. I'm right here."

///000///

Izzie stood outside the room as she stood frozen while watching through the window. Callie and George's Mother were both standing on either side of him as he slowly opened his eyes.

Izzie felt like the whole world stopped at that moment. She didn't notice the nurses running past her and into his room. She didn't hear the page for Dr. Shepherd over the loud speaker. She didn't even notice when Callie turned around and looked straight at her.

All she could see was George opening his eyes.

She took a few slow steps back, turned and slowly walked down the hall. She found the first linen closet and quietly opened the door as she walked in and carefully closed the door behind her. She brought her hand up to her mouth as she felt her breath speed up, she leaned back and slid down the flat surface of the wall just as tears fell from her eyes. As she sunk to the floor, she let deep sobs escape her body. In the darkness of the closet, she cried her heart out. And even through her tears, she couldn't help the bright smile that formed on her face.

"George…" She whispered.

///000///


	9. Chapter 9

Fic: Falling Awake

Rating: Nothing bad here, unless you would count angst.

Feedback: Of course, feedback is like our crack!

Summary: Just when George thought his life couldn't get any more complicated, it does.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything, unfortunately. It would be cooler if I did though.

Spoilers: All the way until the end of the episode "The Other Side of Life" after that my version takes a different route. I started this fic over the summer so this season doesn't really count, any similarities is only by coincidence. If you haven't watch S4 yet and are staying away from spoilers don't worry nothing here will spoil you.

A/N: Many thanks goes to those who have already read a lot of this and help me sort through my writers block. It was much appreciate:)

**Just a little warning, the medical situations in this may be completely off, I don't know anything, really, when it comes to hospitals or medical knowledge, so prepare yourself for having to suspend your imagination and belief. **

///000///

"Now if this was some kind of an attempt to get vacation time than you'll be sorely disappointed," Bailey said with a small smile. "I expect you to be back at work as soon as it's the appropriate time."

George smiled from his spot in bed. He was now sitting up, fully awake. Meredith, Cristina, and Alex were all standing by his bed. Izzie was standing off, quietly to the side, near the door.

"Yes, mam," He said, nodding once. "I wouldn't expect you to think any less."

"Dr. Shepherd, do you think he'll be able to return to work soon?" Mrs. O'Malley asked from her spot by George on the opposite side of the bed than the other interns. Callie was standing beside her.

"Well if all goes well I don't see why not," He said, standing by Bailey at the foot of George bed. "George should make a full recovery and be back under Bailey's wing in no time. I'm sure he's ready to get back with his friends at work."

George smiled at his friends beside his bed but his smiled faltered a little when his eyes landed on the unusually quiet Izzie by the door.

"Speaking of your friends. They and Dr. Bailey really pulled through for you, Dr. O'Malley. I guess this means we're doing something right." Derek said, smiling. "Now unless, there are any other questions I have a neuroendoscopy surgery to get too."

"No," George said, "Thank you for your time, Dr. Shepherd. I always thought you were an excellent doctor I just never wanted to find out first hand."

Derek nodded and smiled. "Understood, lets not make this a regular occurrence. I don't think this hospital would be able to afford the insurance for the interns if so. Good job, guys." He said, nodding to the interns and Dr. Bailey on his way out.

"Now some of us do have to get back to work and attend to other patients," Bailey announced, pointing to her interns. "I'm giving you guys five more minutes, then its time to get back to work. George is a patient and our patients need their rest."

The other interns all nodded their understanding.

Bailey patted George on the foot as she left.

"Enjoy your rest while you can," She said with a nod and knowing smile. "When you get back to work I can't promise there won't be some little form of punishment for scaring us all like that."

Bailey gave him a wink before turning to leave.

"George, I guess that means me too if you need your rest," His mother said, kissing him on the forehead just below his bandages. "I'm going to go home to rest and get cleaned up myself. I forgot how tiring a hospital could be. You'll keep an eye on him, right?" She asked looking at the interns across the bed.

They all looked uncomfortable but nodded their heads anyway and watched as his mother exited the room.

"George, you gave us a real scare," Meredith said, smiling down at him. "Near death experiences are never fun."

"Yeah, tell me about it," George said, smiling at her and allowing his eyes once again fall on Izzie. Their eyes locked for an instant before Izzie broke the moment by looking down.

George cleared his throat and focused back on Meredith. Hoping that no one had caught the small moment between them. He didn't notice the small frown on Callie's face beside him. However, the frown didn't go unnoticed by Izzie.

"I should probably be getting back to my cases as well. You know how Sloan gets if you're late," She said, laughing nervously. "It's good to have you back, George."

She gave him a quick smile and tried avoiding looking him in the eyes but found that task to be impossible.

"Thanks," he said, quietly as he watched her leave the room.

"You know, I'm pretty tired," Callie announced. "I don't need a lecture about rest from Dr. Bailey either, so I think I'm going to go get some shut eye at home while I can."

"Oh," George said, a little surprised. "Okay, um…yeah that's a good idea. You don't have to keep by my side 24/7. Go enjoy some sleep."

"Alright, well I won't be gone too long," Callie said, bending down to kiss him on the cheek before heading for the door.

She paused briefly at the door and turned to Meredith, Alex, and Cristina.

"He better be still awake and well when I get back," She warned. "If he's not, there will be bone breakage."

They all watched her leave with an uncomfortable looks on their faces. They then turned back to George in bed.

"So…" George said, awkwardly. "…Thanks, for you know…saving my life."

///000///

Izzie let out a breath of relief when she found the locker room empty. She needed some time to herself. It had been a long couple of days. Ever since she had heard about George's accident she couldn't do anything except worry about him. She couldn't eat, sleep, or even breathe. Once he opened his eyes though, she finally relaxed. She finally caught her breath and she was so happy he was okay. Now she was just left with exhaustion. She also was left with the urge to tell George how happy she was that he was okay. To tell him her real feelings, but she couldn't. They weren't those kind of friends anymore.

She opened up locker door and reached into it to grab a bottle of aspirin. Her tiredness had formed into a headache. She couldn't wait for her shift to end. She was ready to fall into bed and go into a self-induced coma herself. For once she was ready to get away from the hospital and all of her problems.

"Izzie."

Izzie froze at the sound of her name. She turned to find Callie standing behind her. She had been so caught up in her own thoughts that she hadn't even heard the other doctor come in.

"Oh, Callie," She said, awkwardly. "Hey… is there something wrong?"

"Yes…I mean... no… I dunno," Callie rambled. "I just wanted to say… thanks for … you know helping with George."

"Oh well…" Izzie started, not quiet knowing what to say. "… of course. It's what we do."

After a moment of awkward silence, Izzie added, "All of us. I mean Cristina, Meredith, and Alex. It's what we do…as interns. Not just me, cause the others helped and everything."

Callie nodded, but looked lost in her own thoughts. Izzie stood awkwardly in front of her not knowing what the other woman wanted from her. She could tell she had a lot on her mind.

"Do you know what he's allergic too?" Callie asked, keeping her eyes focused on her feet.

"I'm sorry?" Izzie asked, confused, not sure if she heard the other woman right.

Callie crossed her arms uncomfortably and kept her head down as she repeated the question. "Allergies, what's he allergic too?"

Izzie raised an eyebrow at the odd question. "Um… well he's a little lactose intolerant and I believe he has dust allergies… oh and fabric softeners…" she said, trying not to smile at the memory of how she found out he was allergic to fabric softeners. "… Why? Is there a ..."

"Do you know the coyote story?"

Izzie furrowed her brow at odd line of questions. "What? Callie…"

"Do you or do you not know the story about the coyote when he went camping as a kid."

Izzie could see the doctor in front of her was becoming agitated.

"The one that his Dad killed… yeah. It was just a story George told me once when we were bored at home… Callie, what's this…"

"He's my husband," Callie said, suddenly, looking up at Izzie. "And I need him to need me. I need him to tell me his damn coyotee stories and his little allergy quirks and, god, I don't even think I know what his favorite color is, but I need him. So could you just not be George and Izzie for a little while?"

Izzie opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. She could do nothing but stand there. It was the elevator confrontment all over again.

"So thank you for all that you've done," Callie said, holding up her hand, trying to keep her emotions in check. "But I can take care of him from now on."

Izzie just stood frozen in her spot as Callie turned and left. As the door swung close, Izzie took a step back and heavily sat down on the bench.

"Green," She whispered to the empty room. "His favorite color is green.

///000///


	10. Chapter 10

Fic: Falling Awake

Rating: Nothing bad here, unless you would count angst.

Feedback: Of course, feedback is like our crack!

Summary: Just when George thought his life couldn't get any more complicated, it does.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything, unfortunately. It would be cooler if I did though.

Spoilers: All the way until the end of the episode "The Other Side of Life" after that my version takes a different route. I started this fic over the summer so this season doesn't really count, any similarities is only by coincidence. If you haven't watch S4 yet and are staying away from spoilers don't worry nothing here will spoil you.

A/N: Many thanks goes to those who have already read a lot of this and help me sort through my writers block. It was much appreciate! :)

**Just a little warning, the medical situations in this may be completely off, I don't know anything, really, when it comes to hospitals or medical knowledge, so prepare yourself for having to suspend your imagination and belief. **

/000/

Izzie place a medical chart on the rack behind the nurses' station. She sighed as she looked at her watch for what felt like the millionth time that day. She was surprised to find that it was only 11 p.m. She was on call for the night and she figured that like the rest of the week, her shift would drag by at a snail's pace.

It had been a week since Callie had ambushed her in the locker room, a very long week because she had forced herself to stay away from George. She hadn't been back to see him since he woke up, when she was in his room with the rest of the interns and doctors. The whole week she had to plan her day around the fact that she had to stay away from him. She volunteered to work the clinic to put as much space between herself and his room as much as possible. She made a mental note not to go to his floor. She had even avoided Callie and his mother. When she saw one of them walking down the hallways, she promptly went the other way. Once she saw George in a wheel chair in the hallway and she had to make a beeline for the supply closet.

She also figured Meredith must have caught on to her avoidance act, because she would drop an update about George's condition into their conversations every now and then at home. She was incredibly grateful for her friend's little updates and unspoken understanding. Staying away from George had been one of the hardest things she's ever had to do. George was the first thing she thought of in the morning and the last think she thought of when she went to sleep and behind every other thought in between. It only felt natural to think about him. It was like some invisible force pulling her to him. However, even though Meredith's reports had always been good, she wanted to see his improvements with her own eyes. And sometimes she wanted to see him just to tell him about her day. To tell him a funny thing a patient had said or vent about some long intense surgery. But she didn't. She never gave in to her temptation to go see him. Not because Callie asked her to stay away, although the other woman's plead did brake her heart a little, but she stayed away from her best friend turned into something more, because she had promised him she would if he ever woke up. She was going to keep her promise to him. If he wanted a normal life with his new wife she was going to make sure he had it by staying out of the way, even if it did break her already fragile heart completely in the process.

Izzie shook herself from her thoughts as she turned and started down the hallway again. She decided that if she was going to get through the night that she would need to keep a cup of coffee in her hand at all times. She was headed down to the cafeteria when she heard her name being called out.

"Dr. Stephens?" a faint voice called out from a room to her left.

Izzie tuned to the room from where the voice came from and peeked her head into the room. She found the elderly lady she had been taking care of when she got the news about George's accident staring at her from her bed.

"Mrs. Harris," Izzie said, a little surprised that the patient was still there. She walked into the room and notice the older lady was lying in her bed breathing hard. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Oh, yes dear," The older lady said in between hard breaths. "I'm just a little winded. Apparently, the short walk to the bathroom can be like a 5k marathon these days."

Izzie smiled at her as she picked up her chart laying on the bed table to read over it. She hadn't been in her surgery so she wanted to see how it went.

"How's your friend?"

Izzie looked up in surprise.

"How did you know about my friend?" Izzie asked, curiously.

"Oh, well when you rushed out of my room before I saw your face. It looked like you were the one who were about to have your chest cracked open for surgery. So I figured something serious must have happened and forced Dr. Burke to tell me. He wouldn't give me any of the juicy details though. He's not a very talkative person."

"Oh," Izzie said, looking back down, blushing at the fact a complete stranger could read her so well. "Well it was touch and go there for a while, but he's doing better now…I guess."

"You guess?"

"I mean I know he's okay… it's just a long and complicated story. And one that probably shouldn't be shared between a doctor and her patient."

"Well, I know all about long and complicated stories," The elderly lady said, but stopped due to a flare-up in coughing. Izzie realized that she couldn't catch her breath, so she quickly grabbed the oxygen mask hanging over her bed and gently placed it on her face.

"Just relax, Mrs. Harris," She said, calmly.

The elderly lady took a few deep breaths and her coughing finally started to calm down. She laid her head back down on her pillow and gave Izzie a thankful smile from behind her mask.

Izzie went back to her chart but soon looked up in surprise.

"You didn't have your heart surgery?"

Mrs. Harris smiled and briefly pulled her mask back. "It's a long and complicated story."

Izzie smiled at her response and shook her head. "Sounds like more of a chickening out type of story. Mrs. Harris you needed that surgery…"

"No, dear. I didn't," She said, pulling her mask off now that she could breathe better. "I don't know if you've notice this or not but I'm older than dirt."

"Mrs. Harris…" Izzie said, trying not to laugh. But she cut Izzie off.

"I'm older than dirt and decrepit. And walking to the bathroom is a marathon for me. But I've lived a long and fulfilling life."

"Yes, but the surgery can make sure you keep living a long and fulfilling life and make that whole bathroom thing not a marathon."

"Dear, I'm rounding on my 90's. After you've hit my age there isn't much life left that doesn't involve an oxygen tank strapped to your back or a poop bag. That's no life." She said, smiling softly. "Do you know how long my husband Johnnie and I were together before he passed away a few years ago? 61 years."

"Wow, that's a long time," Izzie said, smiling.

"And not nearly enough. It's been five years since he passed away and I've missed him every second since he's been gone. I just want to see him again. My life now… it's not a life I want, not with out my Johnnie by my side."

Izzie thought about the older ladies words for a moment. "So you're giving up the fight?"

"If he were still alive…or if you told me that surgery could give me one more day with my husband… you would have to race me to the surgery room. But not for this life. This life, there isn't anything here worth fighting for, so what's the point. I'll let you big shot doctors save the surgeries for someone else who's got something to fight for."

Izzie look down sadly.

"Don't worry, dear. I'm not going to go out and call Dr. Kevorkian anytime soon. You see, I am fighting. I'm fighting to see my husband again when I'm finished with this life. But I'll let nature's take its course. And soon enough I'll be with my Johnnie once again."

Izzie nodded her understanding. She placed the medical chart back on the table in front of the bed. "Well Mrs. Harris, it sounds like you've already made up your mind. I hope you get what ever you're fighting for soon enough."

"Thank you," The older lady smiled. Izzie smiled as she turned to go, but turned back when Mrs. Harris called.

"Dr. Stephens, if you don't have anything in your life worth fighting for, than get something. Don't believe those people who say life is too short, its not. It's long and winding and tiring. But its what you have in it that gives you the fight to go on. So find something that's worth fighting for and hold on for dear life, dear. That's about as good as crazy, old lady advice, I can give you."

Izzie's smile from before slowly dropped as she swallowed hard and nodded her understanding. Izzie turned and left them room wondering how a complete stranger could say something that could hit so close to home.

/000/


	11. Chapter 11

Fic: Falling Awake

Fic: Falling Awake

Rating: Nothing bad here, unless you would count angst.

Feedback: Of course, feedback is like our crack!

Summary: Just when George thought his life couldn't get any more complicated, it does.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything, unfortunately. It would be cooler if I did though.

Spoilers: All the way until the end of the episode "The Other Side of Life" after that my version takes a different route. I started this fic over the summer so this season doesn't really count, any similarities is only by coincidence. If you haven't watch S4 yet and are staying away from spoilers don't worry nothing here will spoil you.

A/N: Many thanks goes to those who have already read a lot of this and help me sort through my writers block. It was much appreciate! :)

**Just a little warning, the medical situations in this may be completely off, I don't know anything, really, when it comes to hospitals or medical knowledge, so prepare yourself for having to suspend your imagination and belief.**

/000/

Izzie watched his even breathing from her spot at the door. She was leaning on the frame of the door watching George sleep once more. This time it was a different kind of sleep. There wasn't the sound of agonizing beeps from machines doing things he could not. It was quiet. The only thing that could be heard was his peaceful breathing. It was the most relaxing thing she had heard in a long time.

Izzie thought he looked good too. His color was beginning to come back. He still looked a bit frail from not being able to eat properly before, but he looked like he was well on his way to recovery. His cheeks were flushed from sleeping, she knew he was not a cold nature person in sleep, always kicking the covers off in the middle of the night from being hot, which drove her mad sometimes. He also didn't have as many bandages covering his head. He was beginning to look more and more like the George she knew and loved, which thrilled her to no end.

She didn't know how she got there. Mrs. Harris words had haunted her thoughts all night long. Before she knew it, she was standing at his door breathing in the sight of him. She looked down at her feet, knowing she shouldn't be there.

"It's about time," came a grumble from the bed.

Izzie's breath caught in her throat as she looked up at him. She couldn't help the small smile on her face as she watched him open his eyes to give her a small smile of his own.

"Took you long enough," George smiled. "I was about to give up on you."

Izzie bit her bottom lip to keep herself from smiling silly. "Yeah, well my profession keeps me pretty busy."

"Really? Guess I wouldn't know anything about that," George teased, sitting up in bed.

"How are you feeling?" Izzie asked, cautiously coming in. She picked up his medical chart to give her a distraction as she looked down at it.

"Better now."

Izzie looked up to see him smiling at her. She looked back down at the chart quickly as she felt her cheeks redden from blushing.

"Oh yeah?" She said, nonchalantly. "Well I otta kick your ass for giving us a scare like that."

"Oh come on, you gotta admit for a vacation plan this one has its perks. I'm still at work… just not working. I still get to see everyone, still get to hear about cases, and I'm still an intern and yet… you all have to wait on me. Should have thought of this a long time ago."

"Huh, he's had an extraordinary brain surgery from a world-renowned surgeon…. and yet he still doesn't have much of a sense of humor," Izzie teased, smiling brightly. "Maybe we can install that trait next time."

George laughed from his spot in bed and Izzie felt her stomach drop at the sound. She took a few steps closer to the side of his bed.

"So how's work?"

"Eh. It's work. I'm on call for the night. Hence the late night visit. It's pretty dead around here."

"Oh, so I'm getting a bored visit?" George asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, more like a pity visit," Izzie teased as she sat on the edge of George's bed.

"Oh great, even better. You could have at least brought me a balloon bouquet or a ficus," George smiled, tilting his head towards the throng of balloons, plants, flowers, and get-well cards by the window.

"Wow, I guess it does pay to be well liked in this hospital," Izzie said, looking around the room. "Where's Callie?"

George's smile fell a little. "Visiting hours ended, so she went home."

"Oh, I thought a nurses favorite like you would be able to pull a few strings," Izzie said, trying to sound light.

"Yeah, well I thought she would probably get more rest at the hotel," he said, quietly, looking down at his hands.

"Oh," Izzie said, nodding awkwardly. "Yeah hotel sleep beats hospital sleep hands down. No pesky nurses or doctors popping in every 5 seconds."

Izzie could tell he was lost in his own thoughts. She felt the weight of their recent sins bearing down on them once more. She knew she was not making things any easier by being there.

"Speaking of being a pesky doctor, I should probably go. If Bailey knew I was here I'd be sentenced to pit duty for a month." She said, sighing as she stood up. "I just wanted to see how you were doing .You look good, George. I'm glad you're okay," she said, tenderly.

Izzie turned to go but stop when she heard George mumble.

"Just trust it."

"I'm sorry?" Izzie asked, turning back, not quiet sure she heard him correctly.

George looked up at with a new look of determination on his face. To Izzie it looked like he was having one of his light bulb moments. He reached out and gently took her hand. Izzie looked down at his hand on hers.

"You're my ugly coyote," George said, in awe.

Izzie looked up at him and blinked.

"I gotta say out of all the things I pictured you saying to me when you woke up… that was not on the list."

George gentle smile calmed Izzie's racing heart.

"When other people see you they see this ratty looking animal who's lost… hurt and wild and dangerous…but you're not. Not to me."

Izzie looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Wow this is the best compliment ever," she deadpanned. "You're not relapsing are you? Cause you're not making much sense."

"No, I'm making more sense now than I have in a long time," George said smiling, pulling her closer to him until she sat back down on the edge of his bed again.

"Really? Cause right now you're just calling me an ugly coyote," Izzie joked. "Not what every girl dreams of being called."

"Stop over analyzing everything," George teased.

"Start making sense!" Izzie huffed, exaggeratedly, trying not to smile. "Besides what's with everyone using this coyote analogy? Enough already."

"What I mean is that you're not what most people see. To me you're not some lost wild creature. You're Izzie and I'm George. And what we have. What we are… is beautiful. And I can trust it. It's not going to hurt us."

Izzie was having a hard time following his line of thinking because he seemed to be doing the nervous rambling thing he did when he was excited about something. She didn't know rather to smile at how adorable she found it or smack him in the arm for being so confusing.

"George…"

"I know you were lying the other day."

Izzie once again felt her breath catch in her throat. "What?"

"Or at least I think you lied. I know you. And I know you just don't back down on your feelings. You're hardheaded, stubborn and persistent as hell. To the point that it's annoying as all get out and totally enduring at the same time. And the other day when you told me you didn't have feelings for me, that our night together didn't mean anything… I believe you were lying. It just doesn't sound like you." He said, but then added quickly, "And if you weren't lying than that makes what I'm about to say highly awkward… but…"

Izzie's brow furrowed in confusion, she looked down at their joined hands when George intertwined his fingers with hers.

"…I'm in love with you, Izzie."

Izzie looked up in surprise at the declaration.

"I'm in love with you and I shouldn't be. I'm a married man and I have this amazing woman as my wife and here I am in love with another woman. You're my best friend and it complicates things to a million degrees and we're colleagues in an incredibly competitive field and I'm this geeky guy that shouldn't even get a second glance from an incredible, once known model, like you and there are a million reasons why me being in love with you is wrong. But… at the end of the day, after I've told myself of all the reasons we're wrong for each other… I'm still completely in love with you."

Izzie tried swallowing the lump in her throat but wasn't successful in stopping the tears that slipped from her eyes and down her cheeks. George took the hand that wasn't holding hers and gently wiped them away with a soft caress of his thumb and let his hand linger there. Izzie closed her eyes at his soft touches.

"I love you and with all the things making it wrong, its still right."

Izzie couldn't help the bright smile despite the tears slipping from her closed eyes. She let out a nervous laugh. She opened her eyes and looked him in they eyes.

"I was lying. Our night together… it did mean something. It meant everything. Because I love you, too."

George smiled and took her hand and kissed the back of it.

"The only thing not right is…" George said, dropping off at the end, not wanting to spoil the moment.

"… is our timing," Izzie finished for him.

George nodded in agreement.

"So what does that mean?" Izzie asked, a little afraid of the answer. She knew how George felt about his commitment to Callie. She was scared that they were doomed to be forever stuck in this awkward limbo.

"It means we make it right," George said, assertively. "Life's been over whelming. For the longest time I've felt like I've been drowning and I keep swimming for the nearest shore I can find, but it seems the harder I try to swim, the more tired I become. Callie has been my much-needed life preserver. She's helped me keep my head above the waters. But she deserves more than that. She deserves someone who isn't drowning."

Izzie nodded her understanding. She let out a shaky breath as she asked the next question.

"So what does that make me?"

"My steady ground," George said, softly, eyes shining with love. "You're the safe shore I've been swimming too."

Izzie didn't think she could smile anymore than she already had, but he kept proving her wrong.

"But Iz, before we can…"

"I know," Izzie interrupted him, squeezing his hand to let him know it was okay. "You have to make things right with Callie."

George nodded. His smile from before faltered.

"I don't hate Callie," Izzie said, trying to explain to him that she wanted the same thing he did. "I know I've had my qualms about your relationship with her, but I never wanted to hurt her like this. I'm not that person. I wish I could fix this for her. Make it easier somehow. But I can't. Love is never easy."

"Right. Which is why I say we'll make this right with time," George said.

"Right," Izzie nodded. "In time… so what should we do in the mean time?"

George thought about this for a moment before smiling.

"Be George and Izzie."

He scooted over in his bed and lied down on his side so that he was facing her. She looked back down at him and smiled. She wondered for a moment if they could just be George and Izzie. After a moment, she brought her feet up and scooted closer to him as she lied on her side facing him as well. They were both lying in the hospital bed facing each other, staring into each other's eyes.

"So, really. How's work been?" George asked, smiling.

"Better now," Izzie replied with his earlier statement, smiling back.

"Did you hear about me scaring the hell out of Alex by faking a seizure?"

Izzie kept smiling as she gently placed her hand besides George's hand lying in between them and let her pinky touch his.

"No, but please do tell me. And don't spare any details."

"Okay, well let me first say that I didn't think his eyes could bulge out that much…."

Izzie's laughter could be heard from the hallways.

/000/


	12. Chapter 12

Fic: Falling Awake

Rating: Nothing bad here, unless you would count angst.

Feedback: Of course, feedback is like our crack!

Summary: Just when George thought his life couldn't get any more complicated, it does.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything, unfortunately. It would be cooler if I did though.

Spoilers: All the way until the end of the episode "The Other Side of Life" after that my version takes a different route. I started this fic over the summer so this season doesn't really count, any similarities is only by coincidence. If you haven't watch S4 yet and are staying away from spoilers don't worry nothing here will spoil you.

A/N: Many thanks goes to those who have already read a lot of this and help me sort through my writers block. It was much appreciate! :)

**Just a little warning, the medical situations in this may be completely off, I don't know anything, really, when it comes to hospitals or medical knowledge, so prepare yourself for having to suspend your imagination and belief. **

/000/

"Okay, so whoever said that a good night's worth of sleep could mean the world of difference wasn't lying," Callie said as she came into George's room with a plant in her hands.

George looked up and watched at her from his spot in bed.

"Callie…" He said, softly. He wasn't sure how he was going to do this. He wasn't sure if he could break her heart with out breaking his, but he knew it was unavoidable.

"In the next residence meeting, I'm so bringing up how uncomfortable the chairs are around here," she said, not noticing his anxious look. "I mean, would it kill them to buy something with a little cushion?"

She went to the windowsill and made room for the green plant in her hands.

"Callie…" George tried again, as he watched her fiddle with the other get-well stuff by the window.

"Unless the hospital is getting some kind of kick back for back surgeries, cause I'm pretty sure I may have a slipped disk from sitting in those hard chairs for so long…" She said, with her back to George, still ignoring his calls of her name.

"Callie, we need…"

"Well, what do you think?" Callie asked brightly as she turned around.

"About what?"

"The get well plant." She said, looking at the small tree she just placed down. "It's from our hotel. The card says it's a Hawaiian umbrella tree."

"The hotel gives small trees to sick people?" George asked, incredulously.

"No, just to the ones who pay big bucks to stay there. Apparently, they take notice when we stop coming around."

"Speaking of which, Callie, I think…"

Callie turned back around, straightening the plant in question. "Plants have to be the worst get-well gift ever. You've been in the hospital for weeks, so why not give you something that takes a lot of attention. Just because you didn't die doesn't mean you want to be responsible for killing something, you know?"

George sighed.

"I always liked those candy bouquet's, you know, the ones that are candy bars glued into the shape of flowers. They're fun to look at and a resourceful for a snack," she said, casually.

"Callie," George tried, once more. "I need to…

"Or a card. No one ever takes the time to write a good old fashion get-well card. Everything is electronically sent. Death defying hospital stay? Here, with one click of the mouse, give someone some rare, shedding tree," She said, nonchalantly, her back to George. "Nothing inspires you to get better than being a tree killer."

George watched her sadly as she ignored him while she fiddled with the plants at the window. After rambling for a while, she fell silent.

"Callie," George said, softly. Hoping she was ready to face their problems.

"You're not seriously about to do this now are you?" Callie whispered, skeptically, while looking down at the plant in front of her.

"We can't hide from this any longer. I can't keep hurting you," George said.

Callie whipped around angrily. "So, what, you're going to do whatever you about to do, now? After I've sat by your side for days? After I worried and cried and prayed for you for days? After I gave in and let your precious little friends take care of you? After I put EVERYTHING in my life on hold for you, you're going to do this now?"

George shook his head sadly. "I can't keep doing this. I can't keep hurting you. You deserve better."

"Ohh, well thank you so MUCH for being so chivalrous George O'Malley, you are such a gentleman. I would hate for you to ruin your nice guy reputation by giving your wife a break after the worst few days of her life," she spat out angrily as she looked down, not ready to face what he was about to say.

"Callie," George whispered. "Please…"

Callie slowly looked up. Her eyes filling up with tears as she met his.

"We need to talk."

/000/


	13. Chapter 13

Fic: Falling Awake

AN: Thank you to all who have commented on this fic. This started out as a short fic that wasn't suppose to be much, but its turned out to be so much more. And that goes completely to the credit to all who have sent me wonderful feedback on it. So a big thanks from me. Sorry it took me a while to finally finish it but here it is. I hope you all enjoy it.

/000/

2 Days later.

/000/

George sat on the edge of his bed as he read the papers in front of him. As many times as he has seen patients read these types of papers, he never realize how much information it really was. Although considering they were discharge papers, it was a small price to pay after surviving death.

For once he was truly glad to be leaving the hospital. As a surgeon you're expected to work long tedious hours. An 80 hour work week was consider to be of the norm, but even on the most exhausting days, you had an underlying urgency to return to hold the scalpel once more.

But today was not that day for George. Today was the day George wanted a break. He needed time to sort things out for himself and just allow himself to stop and breathe.

After he admitted his sinful mistakes to his wife and broke her heart one last time, for a while she sat there just staring blankly into the space in front of her. George wasn't sure she had even heard his confessions until she looked up and he could see a shift. She had finally had enough. Her perfect dreams of her husband were suddenly nothing more than a fantasy. The only words she said before leaving was that she was done. Her words sounded so hollow and cold. It was enough to give him chills.

George knew it was the right decision for both of them, but it still hurt no less. To know he could hurt someone who cared for him so much was something that cut him deeply. But he knew that they would both be better off apart. His marriage to her wasn't something she deserved. She deserved a better man, one who wasn't in love with another woman. One who could be everything that she wanted him to be. All the that he had such a hard time being wasn't wrong on her part, he just wasn't meant to be that man for her.

So she left the hospital with her head still high. Meredith told him the next day that Callie took a leave of absence for a few weeks. She had told the chief she had some personal matters that she needed to take care of and she was going to visit Addison in L.A. She had packed up everything at the hotel and left. The hotel sent George's stuff to his mothers. It was better this way. Quick and easy, just the way most of their relationship had been.

And then there was Izzie. The thought of her made him smile every time. He never knew how he could be so blind to what was standing beside him the whole time. With Meredith he had idolized her from a distance. Never truly expecting anything more until it happened. Callie happened so fast that he mostly followed her lead, she was always a few steps ahead of anything he was ready for. But with Izzie, she was always right there by his side.

They were equals and understood each other better than anyone. She was already his best friend, so that was one step in the relationship they didn't have to worry about. And everything else just fell into place.

"How's those discharge papers coming along?" Bailey asked as she and Cristina walked into the room, interrupting George from his thoughts.

"Slowly but surely," He answered, signing his name to one of the pages. "Isn't the hospital supposed to be environmentally friendly?"

"We do what we can," Bailey answered as she looked over his chart one last time. "We aren't the green-ist of places or how ever you say it, but we do try. Why?"

"Well I'm pretty sure a tree was killed for this alone," George said, holding up his large stack of papers in front of him.

"Ah yes, well hospital staff get special treatment when they have work related accidents that put them in the hospital. Brain surgeries cost a pretty penny." Bailey said, coming up to exam the bandage on his head once more.

"That's what your tree is for," Cristina shrugged, tilting her head to the window seal where the tree Callie had brought in sat.

George looked over at the small tree and nodded. Maybe he could plant it later and let that be something good that could come out of all of this. An offer of apology to karma, so to speak.

"Well, George, after Yang gives you one last check over, you will officially be just an intern again," Bailey said, stepping back. "I expect you to come back in tip top shape, so you better listen to doctors orders and take it easy while you're at home. Don't make me do home visits, because I will be checking up on you and if I hear you're acting out, I will come over and it won't be pretty. Do I make myself clear?"

George gave his mentor a thankful smile. "Yes mam."

"Good," Bailey smiled as she headed towards the door. "Yang, I told you earlier, you would follow this case all the way until the end, so please give George his discharge physical and get him out of here."

Cristina gave her a short nod.

Bailey turned around one last time as she got to the door. "This better be the last time I treat you as a serious patient, Mister, you got that?" She asked. Smiling.

George nodded his understanding as he watched her leave. He wasn't sure he would be ever able thank his mentor and friends enough for saving his life, but he was glad he had them when he needed them.

"Where's you mom?" Cristina asked, as she came up to him to listen to his heart with her stethoscope.

"She's gone to get the car."

"Oh yeah," Cristina, said. Listening carefully to his heart. "Izzie said something about you staying at your Mom's for a while."

"Yeah, did she say anything else?"

"Like why Callie took off to be far far away from you and why you're going back to your Mom's to live instead of going home with your wife?"

"Yeah, something like that."

"No," Cristina sighed. Moving to his back to listen to his lungs. "She wouldn't spill the goods, but there's some theories going around by now."

"What?" George scoffed, surprised. "It's only been 2 days."

"Yeah I know," Cristina shaking her head and smirking. "It took a little while before people starting catching on that Callie wasn't coming back any time soon, but then the rumor train took off in no time."

"Greaaat," George said, shaking his head. "What's the latest rumor?"

"That Callie and Addison had been lovers and she finally wised up and left you for hot girl doctor action in L.A."

"Wow," George shook his head. "Nice. That has Alex written all over it. He has real imagination."

"He does, doesn't he?" Cristina joked as she checked his wounds underneath his bandages. "Now you have to have plenty of bed rest and can't lift anything more than …"

"I've given this speech a million times, so don't worry, I think I know what the guidelines are for post-surgery."

"Well then you know I still have to say it even if you know it," She said, examining the staples and stitches in his head. "You can't lift anything and you have to be bored out of your skull and yadda yadda yadda."

"Gotcha," George said as Cristina moved back around and used her pen flashlight to check the pupils in his eyes. As she finished, George added, "Thanks for not letting Guy-who-doesn't-shower have my case. Izzie told me how he wanted to install a shunt. Having a faucet sticking out my head doesn't exactly sound promising for my career."

Cristina shrugged as she wrote down results on his chart. "Yeah, well it was a bad idea and we're better than Savoy's group, so we came up with something better."

"Well thanks for…"

"George," Cristina interrupted while still writing. "I'm not the gratitude type of person. We don't have to do this whole awkward, should we hug, should we not thing. I'm you're doctor, and you happen to be the patient this time. So no hugging. And no weird thank you moments."

"Hey," George scoffed. "You're the one who made me a patient in the first place!"

Cristina's head shot up. "What?"

"Jeez," George said. "I knew you played dirty for cases but putting someone in a coma…"

"Woah, I did not put you in a coma… on purpose. I barely pushed you… besides who trips on their own feet and takes out a rolling tray on the way down?"

"Says the woman who plowed down a fellow intern."

"Whatever, coma boy."

"You just better be glad that if I had to pick a surgeon to have, I would've picked you anyways. I mean if you were willing to bust heads for cases, who else would I want on a case? So Thanks. Thanks so much for busting me up and putting me in the hospital."

"Well your welcome. You're soo welcome." Cristina huffed, but then stopped when she realized she had just accepted gratitude in a very weird and sneaky way. She looked at George who was smiling at her. She rolled her eyes as she tried not to let him see her smile. "Oh shut up. We're still not hugging."

George smiled and nodded his understanding.

"You say if you had to pick a surgeon, you would pick me," Cristina said, looking down. "But truth is, I was and I freaked. I stood frozen in the scrub room while all the action went down. I saw the Chief give you the paddles and then walked out."

"Yeah, Izzie mentioned something about that," George replied.

"Man, did Izzie leave anything out of what happened while you were out?"

"Have you never met Izzie Stephens?" George asked, smiling. "I once saw her give a play by play account of an appendectomy to Doc the dog, and she hated that dog. That girl has a thing for words."

"Well, whatever," Cristina shrugged. "I still bombed a surgery. I don't know what happened."

"Well to be fair, I think there is a reason why they don't let surgeons work on friends. We all freeze on occasion. Have moments were we're not entirely sure of ourselves. But even now, if I had to pick a surgeon to have it'd be you."

Cristina looked up at him and couldn't help the small smile on her face. She then thought about something he said, "Hey, wait, who said we were friends?"

It was George's turn to roll his eyes as he shook his head and smiled.

"So is he ready to go home?" Meredith asked, coming into the room with Alex following.

"Thank god," Cristina said, closing his chart up. "He's a crappy patient."

"Well I gotta say, I'm gonna miss having you here George. I mean not that you wont be back soon as an intern. But having you here to hang out with in your room."

"Yeah, now we have to go back to really old guy's room for lunch," Alex said, disappointed.

"Well I'm not going to miss being a patient, that's for sure," George said, as he signed the last of his papers.

"Where's Izzie? She's the one who threatened to stop baking at home if we didn't show up to see Bambi off," Alex said, crossing his arms.

"Oh, Alex, you know you wanted to come," Meredith said, smiling at him.

"Whatever, if Iz isn't here in 3 minutes I'm outta here. Sloan has a plastics case that I'm not missing out on. I don't care if there are baked goods on the line here, I'm not sticking around to have a Golden Girls moment with you four."

"You know, George, while you were being coma guy, Alex here was really fighting for your case," Meredith said, teasing Alex as he stood there uncomfortably. "You should have seen him. He even threatened Savoy's interns for you."

George smiled. "Should we hug now or later?"

"Only if you want to be a patient again, Bambi."

"Okay, here I am," Izzie said as she wheeled in a wheelchair.

"About time," Alex said.

George smiled brightly when Izzie entered the room. He noticed she couldn't help her own smile in return. They had agreed that they were going to take things very slow for a while, while things settled down with Callie and so he could focus on getting better. But he couldn't help the warm feelings inside of him every time he saw her.

"Sorry I'm late, I had to fight off a neo-natal nurse to get this," She said, wheeling the chair up to George's bed. "You know how they like to horde the good wheelchairs."

"Guys, I don't need a wheel chair," George tried as he stood up.

"Uh, yeah, you do. Until you go out those double doors at the front of the hospital, you're still our patient," Izzie said, motioning with her hand for him to sit. "So sit! We're going to make sure you get out of this hospital safely."

George grumbled as he sat down. Izzie smiled at how cute she found it.

She wheeled George out of his room with the others following her.

Olivia looked up and smiled at them from her position at the nurses' station. Bailey was standing in front of her and turned to see whom Olivia was smiling at.

They both watched as the group went on their way. Izzie was pushing George's wheel chair while Cristina stood to the left of her and Meredith and Alex walked beside her on the right. All of them, smiling and talking as they pushed their friend down the hallway.

"Well it looks like your interns did it again," Olivia said to Bailey, smiling. "They somehow managed to be the main topic of the gossip mill and yet still came out on top."

"Yup," Bailey said, watching her group of interns walk away. She smiled proudly at the sight of them laughing at something George had said as they pushed him along. "That's my interns."

/000/

The End.

/000/


End file.
